Chennai: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa today (Nov 26, 2004) said that the arrest of Kanchi Seer Jayendra Saraswathi has been treated with utmost dignity and consideration, befitting his religious status and position in society.

In a reply to the Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh, who shot off a letter asking her to take "all such measures" to ensure the physical well being of the arrested Seer, Jayalalithaa said while in custody, it has been ensured that he has been treated with care and caution considering his age and health condition.

Spotlight: Kanchi Jayendra Saraswati's Arrest

A team of doctors has been monitoring his health parameters and have reported that the Seer's health condition was quite satisfactory, she told the Prime Minister, adding that the Seer himself had stated before a magistrate that he was being treated well.

Jayalalithaa assured that the "State Government was taking and would be taking utmost care to ensure the physical well being of the Seer".

"As you have rightly observed, the due processes of law must not be interfered with and law must be allowed to take its own course", she said in the letter adding that the State police, after careful and thorough investigation of the 'ghastly and brutal' murder of Sankararaman at Kancheepuram, had effected the arrest of the Seer on November 11, 2004.

She said further investigation by the police led to his arrest in another case of 'murderous assault' on Radhakrishnan, who was closely connected with the Shankara Mutt. The investigation was being handled by a Special Investigation Team with "extreme care and caution to ensure its thoroughness", she said.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, in his letter to Jayalalithaa, had said that the investigation in the case involving the Kanchi Shankaracharya Jayendra Saraswati should be conducted with "extreme care and consideration" and asked her to take "all such measures" to ensure his physical well being.