Bharatiya Janata Party leader Murli Manohar Joshi met Kanchi Shankaracharya Jayendra Saraswathi in jail at Vellore on Tuesday and later termed as "reprehensible" the seer's arrest in connection with a murder case.
"But if there is something let the court decide it. Even swamiji is saying that whatever is the court verdict he will accept it," he told reporters.
Joshi termed as "absurd notion" the prosecution's view that the Shankaracharya could poison himself if he was allowed to cook his own food in jail.
"It is also being said that he might run to Nepal. How can he when he is in police custody? With such talks, his and the Mutt's reputation is being sullied."
Joshi said it would be difficult to take such action against the Shankaracharya without the government's approval. "I cannot say what are the reasons behind it. But I can surely say this does not seem to be any ordinary case."
He said he met the seer for 20 minutes. "I won't be meeting the chief minister (of Tamil Nadu), but I might send my report to her... Swamiji only said that god should give wisdom to everyone," Joshi added.
Meanwhile, the junior seer of the Mutt, Vijayendra Saraswathi, said he was in "deep pain" over the arrest.
Breaking his silence, the acharya, arriving in Kanchipuram by road early on Tuesday morning from Mehboobnagar in Andhra Pradesh with police escort, said in a brief interaction with the press, "I ask all the devotees to pray to god."
He was with Jayendra Saraswathi on last Friday night in Mehboobnagar when the arrest happened.
Former chief election commissioner T N Seshan was also present at the mutt.
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