Lucknow: A CBI (Central Bureau of Investigation) inquiry into the arrest of Kanchi Seer Jayendra Saraswathi was possible only on the direction of the court or when the Tamil Nadu Government made such a request, Union Law Minister Hansraj Bharadwaj today (Nov 24, 2004) said.

"There is no question of the Centre taking any initiative in the matter. It is outside the authority of the Centre," Bhardwaj told reporters in Lucknow.

Spotlight: Kanchi Jayendra Saraswathi's Arrest

Bharadwaj said there was a petition seeking a CBI inquiry into the Seer's case currently pending in the Supreme Court and added that the Government would abide by the direction of the court.

He, however said that there was nothing wrong in conducting a CBI inquiry into the matter if the "controversy further escalates".

Concurring with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's recent statement calling for better treatment to the Seer, the minister, however, said that there could not be different laws for different people.

"The law is one and every one is equal before it," he said.

"On one hand is the Sankaracharya, who is a respectable person and on the other there is a brutal crime," he said adding, "It would be better to let the law take its own course."

"Patience and sensitivity are of prime importance in this matter," Bhardwaj said adding that he was of the view that the matter should be investigated with full sensitivity and impartially.