 The Supreme Court yesterday granted Kanchi priest Jayendra Saraswathi conditional bail in the Sankararaman murder case for which he was arrested Nov. 11. The court ordered him not to return to his mutt before formal charges are brought.
| Oh, what will he do without his mutt? |
While granting bail, the three-judge bench comprising Chief Justice R.C. Lahoti, Justice G.P. Mathur and Justice P.P. Maolekar said: "We are of the opinion that prima facie a strong case has been made out for grant of bail." Admitting Saraswathi's appeal challenging a Madras High Court order that had refused him bail, Justice Mathur said: "He will be relieved from prison after furnishing a bail bond and two sureties to the satisfaction of the trial court." Justice Mathur delivered the verdict in a jam-packed court and also wrote the judgment for the bench. The priest was ordered to surrender his passport, cooperate with the investigation and appear before police when required. The court dismissed objections from the prosecution that if the priest was set free, a number of witnesses in the case could be bumped off feel pressured into lying. |