Tibetan leader cleared by inquiry into funds

Indian authorities have cleared the Karmapa, Tibetan Buddhism's third most important leader, in an investigation into how $1.35m (£840,000) in cash made its way to his headquarters in northern India.

Rajwant Sandhu, the senior civil servant in Himachal Pradesh state, said the money found during a raid on the Karmapa's monastery, had been donated by his followers, the Press Trust of India news agency reported. The Karmapa had no links to the money since the affairs of his trust are managed by his followers, Ms Sandhu said. "The Karmapa is a revered religious leader of the Buddhists and the government has no intentions to interfere in religious affairs of the Buddhists."

The Karmapa, 24, left Tibet in 2000. Since then, he has been living at the monastery in Sidhbari, outside Dharmsala, which has been the headquarters of the self-declared Tibetan government-in-exile since the top spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, fled the region in 1959.

Last week police said the Karmapa's followers had violated tax and foreign currency laws.