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“Emergency” in Tamilnadu

Continued Incarceration

Shri Jayendra Saraswathi was arrested on November 11, 2004 on charges of masterminding the murder of a former employee Shankararaman. The following is the “solid evidence” based upon which this arrest was carried out –
1. Letters from the deceased (Shankararaman) alleging financial irregularities and other misdemeanors in the mutt.
2. Confessions from a couple of persons (the accused) arrested in connection with the murder.
3. Phone calls from a cell phone made supposedly by the Acharya from the mutt to one of the accused.
4. Large sums of money allegedly made to the accused from accounts owned by the mutt.

It has been 4 long weeks since the 70-year-old diabetic has been arrested. He has been denied bail twice already. I believe Pinochet of Peru got a better treatment even after his indictment on genocide.

So called ‘Solid Evidence’

Shankaraman (the deceased), for his part, appears to have been one of those orthodox narrow-minded Hindus who objected to the Acharya’s vision of inclusiveness (where the mutt is not just only for Brahmins, but for all Hindus). Instead of confining himself to his duties in the Varadaraja Perumal temple, he had been wasting his time trying to ferret all kinds of imagined fraud in the mutt. He went so far as to file a case in the court to prevent Shri Jayendrar’s trip to China (based on his outdated idea that mutt heads cannot travel overseas). In addition, he had been allegedly sending anonymous letters to all and sundry alleging various kinds of misdemeanors. It reminds me of an old saying “Keduvaan Kedu Ninaippaan” (As you sow, so shall you reap). I am not trying to say that he deserved to be murdered – he does not - but his activities lead me to think that he was a disgruntled troublemaker and could have angered many others in his community. Why has the government paid 5 lakhs to his family? Were the accused brought before the family prior to the police lineup?

The “confessions” by the accused have since been retracted and appear to have been made under torture. But the police allege that the Acharya somehow remotely engineered the retraction from prison. The prosecution then went about sensationally claiming that the Acharya had confessed during interrogation, but uh-oh, the confession couldn’t be used as evidence in the court. The media dutifully lapped up this tidbit in spite of knowing that producing doctored tapes is not very difficult (that is why it is inadmissible in court). The videotape that is inadmissible in court found itself in the hands of a select few. Who was responsible for that and why? Is this not sufficient ground for a mistrial? The prosecution and the police with their periodic interviews to the media appear to be attempting to influence the public and the jury. The Acharya has not been given an equal opportunity to present his defense. Is it not his basic right? All are equal before the law, but some seem to be less equal than the rest.

Kanchi mutt through the website http://www.kanchi-sathya.org/ have presented their side of the story. Calls over the cell phones do not mean anything. It has to be proven with voice analysis (provided they have voice recordings) that it was the Acharya on the line and that the conversation pertained to the murder of Shakararaman. The police have not provided any details of the cell phones or the alleged calls. The bank accounts of the Kanchi mutt seem to be in order and accusations that large amounts of money have been transferred from the mutt to the accused appear to be a figment of somebody’s vivid imagination.

Unable to prove Shri Jayendra Saraswathi guilty of anything, the police and the prosecution, in desperation, have shifted to sleaze. Their next task was to pick on the women that have received charity from the mutt and try to build up stories more worthy of a Jackie Collins than a public prosecutor. Perhaps sordidness is in the minds of the morally bankrupt? Drawing a blank here, they are now trying to open decades old cases. They will apparently have “nailed” the case once they catch the elusive “Appu”. How this individual has remained at large for so long is another “Veerappan” type mystery. Does the fact that he is supposed to be close to members of both the Dravidian parties in Tamilnadu have anything to do with this?

One of the reasons given for the arrest the night before Diwali is that the Acharya had plans to flee to Nepal. (Never mind that the helicopters do not have the range to cover the distance to Nepal non-stop. Also let us ignore the fact that India has an extradition treaty with Nepal.). The evidence was so “solid” that the police had to keep him in prison. Are they so impotent that they cannot secure such “solid” evidence from being destroyed by a 70-year-old man? If the evidence is solid, why have they not produced them yet? Why try to conjure new (and lame) charges by the week.

Gagging the Press

On December 8th 2004 the Tamilnadu police question summoned writer S. Gurumurthy and tried to question him on the sources for his articles. What was their objective if not to intimidate the press? Fortunately for us, the people, the internet is omnipresent and governments have not been able to censor the information superhighway.

Last November, the Tamilnadu assembly ordered the arrest of the editors of “The Hindu” on charges of “gross contempt” of the House. This was because of an article that was critical of the functioning of the government. The Hindu was able to rally the support of the entire media to fight against this blatant assault on freedom of the press. Ironically writers for the same newspaper are now advising the followers of Shri Jayendra Saraswathi to “let the law run its own course”. Never before have Indians witnessed such blatant bigotry from the fifth estate. Where are the defenders of liberty and justice now? One wonders if the media would have been this reticent had it been an Imam or a Bishop who was jailed in this manner.

Who do you believe?

Shri Jayendra Saraswathi is an unusual man who as a head of a prestigious mutt has not confined himself to Vedic rituals. For the past 30 years he has played a very active role in social causes thus earning the wrath (ire) of the orthodox Brahmins who would have preferred that he stayed aloof following the tired old path set by his predecessors. However, they forget that Shri Adi Shankaracharya was not a passive follower of traditions either. He was a vibrant personality who imbued a new life into the Hindu society with his intellect and dynamism. In the current world a Shankaracharya that keeps himself separate from society cannot hope to keep that spirit and tradition alive.

On one side you have the following
• Tamilnadu government lead by a woman known to be vindictive and corrupt
• Tamilnadu opposition who are the epitome of putridness
• Tamilnadu police who seem to have sufficient expertise in spinning sleaze
• A left-wing Media that has already judged the Acharya guilty

On the other side you have the Acharya who has spent the last 2 decades working for the uplifting of the poor, integration of the lower classes with the rest of the Hindu society and for communal harmony. I do not know about you but I would take the Acharya’s word until it is proven beyond reasonable doubt that he is guilty.

There are rumors that a dastardly attempt is being made to take over the reins of the mutt. For this to happen both Perival and Shri Vijeyendra Saraswathi must be out of the picture. Is this what is happening?

Money, anyone?

The Tamil Nadu government had advertised recently in the Wall Street journal and other magazines inviting investments in the state. Before you decide to do so answer the following questions –
• Do you want to put your money in a state where freedom of the press is dependent on the whims of the government?
• Do you want to invest in a state where law-abiding citizens are cowed and fearful of speaking openly against a tyrannical despot?
• Do you want to invest in a state where affiliates of the government show an unnaturally keen interest in acquiring prime properties and businesses sometimes with threats and intimidation?
• Do you want to invest in a state where the two main political parties specialize in creating divisions amongst people on the basis of caste?
• Do you want to put your money in a state where a 70-year-old sanyasin can be imprisoned on the most insignificant of evidence and not allowed to present his case to the people?
• Do you want to put your money in a state where reputed institutions can be tarnished on the mere capriciousness of the government?