'Shankaracharya did not confess to role in crime'

Sushma Swaraj, spokesperson of the Bhartiya Janata Party, who called on Shankaracharya Swami Jayendra Sarswati in Vellore Jail on Monday, said that the Seer was contemplating moving the Tamil Nadu high court to quash the first information report filed in the Saankaraman murder case.

• Shankaracharya: The Full Coverage

"We are contemplating moving the HC under article 482 for quashing of the false cases registered against the seer," Swaraj told news persons in New Delhi on Tuesday.

She claimed that she had been authorised by the Kanchi seer to convey his point of view to the people and counter the allegations made in the media by the prosecution.

"I spent 30 minutes with the Shankaracharya and he looked calm and composed. During my interaction, I asked him about his so-called confession before the police and he told me that there was no question of admitting anything when he did not commit the crime. I asked him if he had any telephone conversation with Jayalalithaa, the chief minister of Tamil Nadu, wherein he sought her forgiveness for describing her as 'Kamakhya Devi' as claimed by Star News channel. Swamiji laughed it off saying that there was no question of him referring to Jayalalithaa as 'Kamakhya Devi'. He told me that the whole thing was untrue and whatever was being said is nothing but white lies," Swaraj said.

She dared Union law minister H R Bhardwaj to summon the so-called videotapes to prove whether they existed at all.

"I ask the Union government to intervene in the matter by using article 256/257 as was done by the Vajpayee government when Karunanidhi and Murasoli Maran were arrested. The Centre has the powers to direct the state government to act in accordance with the Constitution of India. The law minister has the power to summon the evidence if it exists," she said.

Asked if this would amount to interference in the judicial process, Swaraj said the case proceedings could go on in the courts and the Centre can go through the evidence.

"I challenge them to present the videotapes of the so-called confession either before the media or before the court of law," she reiterated.

When a reporter pointed out that the prosecution was willing to present the taped evidence, but it was the defence counsel who had objected to it, Swaraj said she had no information about it.