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Sankaracharya in police custody for three days

      Chennai: The Kanchi Shankaracharya, Jayendra Saraswati, was on Friday sent to three days of police remand by a Kanchipuram judicial magistrate's court. On Thursday, First Class Judicial Magistrate G Uttamaraja had reserved orders for 10.30 a.m. today. But due to some reasons the trial was delayed for sometime and the court proceedings couldn't start till 11.00 a.m. The Sankaracharya was brought to the court at 10.25 a.m. Any decision on his bail plea before the Madras High Court will be taken later in the day. The pontiff was arrested on November 11 at Mehboobnagar in Andhra Pradesh in connection with his alleged involvement in the September 3 murder of a local temple official Sankaramaran.

Advani, Vajpayee to meet Kalam over Sankaracharya issue (Go To Top)

      New Delhi: Former Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee and leader of the Opposition L.K.Advanil met President A.P.J.Abdul Kalam in the evening to express their concern over the continued incarceration of the Sankaracharya of Kanchi, Sri Jayendra Saraswati. Informed BJP sources said that the meeting took place at Rashtrapati Bhavan at 5.30 p.m. The sources also confirmed that the senior party leaders had expressed concern on hearing Friday's news that the Sankaracharya had been put in police custody for three days by a Kanchi judicial magistrate's court. The Sankaracharya was first taken into custody by the Tamil Nadu police on November 11 from Mehboobnagar in Andhra Pradesh for his alleged involvement in the murder of a temple manager Sankaraman on September 3 this year. His appeal for bail was to be heard by the Madras High Court today. Ever since his arrest, Hindu radicals across the country led by the VHP and the Bajrang Dal have been staging protest demonstrations, demanding his immediate release.

Hindu hardliners agitate over Kanchi seer's detention (Go To Top)

      New Delhi/Kolkata: Police custody awarded to the Sankaracharya of Kanchi evoked mixed responses across the country on Friday. A local court in Kanchipuram remanded Jayendra Saraswati, arrested on charges of involvement in the murder of a temple official, to police custody till November 22. The Sankaracharya was later taken away from the court to an 'undisclosed destination' in a police van, amidst tight security.

      In Kolkata, former West Bengal Chief Minister Jyoti Basu dismissed the seer's arrest as a routine matter. "We have been arrested so many times, he has been arrested only once...I am sure he'll get bail," Basu said. There have been nationwide protests across India by several Hindu groups to protest the action taken by southern Tamil Nadu state government terming it as a conspiracy against the pontiff.

       Demand for seer's resignation (Go To Top)

      New Delhi: The founder-president of Vishwa Kalyan Parishad and Senior Sankracharya of Prayag Seer Swami Madhavanand Saraswati along with Sankracharya Swami Onkaranand Saraswati has demanded the immediate resignation of Jayendra Saraswathi from the post of Sankracharya of Kanchi Seer. In a press meet here today, Madhavanand Saraswati said that there is nothing more important than the Religion on this Earth and for Religion, Jayendra Saraswathi should quit the post and this sacrifice would no doubt save the reputation of the post.

SC cancels Basu's plot allotment for judge (Go To Top)

      New Delhi: The Supreme Court today cancelled the allotment of a plot in Salt Lake city area of Kolkata by then Chief Minister Jyoti Basu to a then judge of Calcutta High Court Justice BP Banerjee. Cancelling the allotment, the apex court said that Banerjee had used his divine judicial power for personal gains. There was an unholy nexus between the government and the judge resulting in the illegal allotment in 1987, the apex court said. It, however, directed the state government to auction the bungalow built on the plot to compensate Justice Banerjee. The court said the public auction of the house will take place within a year and money will be given to the former judge who will then handover the possession of the house and the plot to the government.

Two-day Chhat Puja ends (Go To Top)

     Patna/Varanasi: Scores of people, especially women, thronged the banks of the Ganges to offer their annual Chhat Puja, which came to an end today. The festival is especially significant for married women, who observe a two-day fast and offer prayers along with fruits and flowers to the Sun God. People go to the bathing ghats on riverbanks and pay obeisance to both the rising and the setting sun during the festival, which is celebrated on the sixth and seventh day after Diwali. Traditional music forms an integral part of the festival every year. Bihar Chief Minister Rabri Devi offered her early morning prayers in Patna. Her husband and Railways Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav, who was also present on the occasion, said that people held prayers for the welfare and prosperity of their family, specially children. "People from all walks of life across the state have prayed the rising sun with a pure heart," Yadav said after offering prayers. Large number of devotees also offered prayers at the banks of Ganges in northern holy city of Varanasi. Preparations for this festival start a month ahead.

World Bank chief meets PM (Go To Top)

      New Delhi: World Bank president James D. Wolfensohn today met Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh. What transpired between, however, could not be known. The WB chief has been in the country for the past several days meeting the India's topmost leadership, including UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Planning Commission Deputy Chairperson Montek Singh Ahluwalia, and On Thursday he lauded New Delhi's efforts to usher in development in Kashmir in its bid to bring peace in the Valley. During his meeting with Ahluwalia, Wolfensohn urged him to control its rising fiscal deficit and also hinted at fresh aid for the world's second most populated country.