An Indian prosecutor says the Hindu high priest arrested earlier this month for alleged involvement in a murder has confessed to the crime.
The prosecutor in the southern state of Tamil Nadu told the Madras High Court Monday that Kanchi Shankaracharya Jayendra Saraswati broke down during police interrogation and confessed to his involvement in the September murder of a temple official Sankaraman.
During a bail hearing, the prosecution told the court that in his videotaped confession, the high priest appeared to be realizing that he had make a mistake.
The high priest was arrested earlier this month, triggering a widespread protest by Hindu hard-liners in southern India, where he has a huge following.
Several religious and political leaders, including India's opposition Bharatiya Janata Party, have condemned the arrest as politically motivated.