Refusing to send a detailed report on the arrest of Kanchi Seer Jayendra Saraswati, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa told the Union Home Ministry that the administration of criminal justice is a state subject. Undue interest shown in the case by the Centre amounts to ‘‘interference in the process of justice’’, she said. Sources said that soon after the Seer’s arrest, the Home Ministry had asked the Tamil Nadu government for a report, seeking details on the case and the timing and circumstances that led to it. A report was sent to Home Secretary Dhirendra Singh, giving the chronology of events, including the Seer’s detention in Mehboobnagar and his subsequent transportation to Chennai and Vellore. Dissatisfied with the state’s reply, the Centre asked for more details on the evidence against the Seer. The Home Ministry also sought an explanation on the timing of the arrest — just before Diwali and Id — when it could have caused communal tension, not only in Tamil Nadu, but other parts of the country as well. Jayalalithaa said that the state was not bound to give the Centre details of the case. ‘‘The Centre’s interest could only be limited to any law and order situation arising out of the arrest in other parts of the country. The legitimacy of the case itself is to be decided by the court,’’ the state told the Home Ministry.
