Seer's female 'accomplice' surfaces

Seer's female 'accomplice' surfaces

Tuesday, November 30, 2004 (Chennai):

The woman alleged to have links with Shankaracharya Jayendra Saraswati today appeared before the Kanchipuram SP.

The woman, Usha, was accused of being involved in the conspiracy and was named by the police in the counter affidavit.

But speaking exclusively to NDTV, Usha said that she is a devotee of the Shankaracharya and used to seek his blessings.

She added that while she did receive monetary help, no large sums of money have been transferred to her.

"I am a cancer patient and a devotee of the Shankaracharya. He used to regularly bless me. Yes he used to talk to me on the phone but that was only in nature of consolation. I am not absconding and am going to surrender before the police," she said.

Bail plea

Meanwhile, the Madras High Court is expected to decide today on the bail application of the Kanchi seer.

He is the prime suspect in the murder of Shankaraman, a former associate.

The hearing on the bail application took an interesting turn on Monday.

The Tamil Nadu government claimed in court that the Shankaracharya had confessed to his involvement in the murder and that it was recorded on camera.

But this confession is not admissible as evidence in court as it was reportedly made to the police and not before a magistrate.

news from ndtv.com

(With PTI inputs)