Shankaracharya

Kanchi Shankaracharya

On Diwali, the Kanchi Shankaracharya, Jayendra Saraswathi, was arrested on charges of murder. The 71-year-old, head of a sect of the Kanchi Mutt, a key religious establishment in the Hindu religious set up, was seen as one of the most influential, one to whom even the most important in the country bowed to. He has been in the news earlier too, inthe 1980s, he ran away from the Mutt after differences with his senior cleric.

His arrest also had political ramifications, with his erstwhile supporter Jayalalithaa ordering his arrest, analysts say in a view to bolster her rapidly dwindling supporters. While the BJP has protested his arrest, parties in Tamil Nadu have generally welcomed the move.