The Kanchi Mutt was proclaimed falsely as installed by Adi Sankaracharya (788 – 820CE). In fact it is not Kanchi Mutt but migrated from Kumbakonam.
Late Jayendra Saraswathi, the Mutt head was the key accused in respect of the criminal case on the murder of Sankararaman, priest of Varadharaja Perumal temple at Kancheepuram in 2004. He was arrested along with the junior pontiff (who is the Mutt head at present), put behind the bars and came out on conditional bail after two months of arrest. The trial was initially planned at Chinglepet court and was shifted later to the neighbouring Union Territory of Pondicherry despite the objection raised by the family members of the murdered priest.
During the trial proceedings of the case, out of 189 prosecution witnesses, 89 turned hostile, an unusual precedent which went in favour of the accused Mutt head. Finally he was absolved. To meet such a Mutt head, Pranab Mukherjee paid the special visit while he was the President of India. Besdies, Pranab Mukherjee’s comment and direct interference for the release of Kanchi Sankaracharya on bail during his Central Home Minister tenure immediately after his arrest in the murder case has been documented by Pranab Mukherjee himself in his book, The Coalition Years 1996-2012.
