Chennai, November 26
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa today assured Prime Minister Manmohan Singh that her government was taking utmost care of the Shankaracharya who is in judicial custody facing the murder and attempt-to-murder charges.

Replying to Dr Manmohan Singh’s letter, Ms. Jayalalithaa wrote: “You may be assured that the state government is taking and will continue to take utmost care to ensure the physical wellbeing of Sri Jayendra Saraswati Swamigal.”

Explaining the grounds of arresting the seer, the Chief Minister wrote: “The Tamil Nadu police, after careful and thorough investigation of the ghastly and brutal murder of Sankararaman, manager of Vardaraja Perumal temple at Kancheepuram, have effected the arrest of Sri Jayendra Saraswathi.

“Further investigation by the police has also led to his (seer’s) arrest in another case of murderous assault on September 20, 2002, in Chennai on Thiru Radhakrishnan, who was closely connected with the mutt, along with others who were in his house.”

Ms Jayalalithaa mentioned that the investigation was being handled by a special investigation team with extreme care and caution to ensure its thoroughness.