Amarmani mercy petition opposed

Lucknow: Nidhi Shukla, sister of slain poetess Madhumita Shukla, has appealed to the Uttarakhand governor not to accept the mercy petition of politician Amarmani Tripathi and his wife Madhu Mani Tripathi, both of whom have been convicted for the murder of the poetess.

According to Nidhi Shukla, Amarmani  Tripathi filed a petition before the Governor about a fortnight ago, citing old age and health problems. “I am surprised and shocked that the concerned authorities did not inform us about this development. We learnt from our own sources and we have filed out own petition before the Governor. We have also requested him not to grant mercy to Tripathi who is an accused in 33 criminal cases”, she told this correspondent.

She further said that Amarmani Tripathi was lying about his health. “The couple is serving a life term but instead of the Gorakhpur jail, the husband and wife have been staying in the wards of BRD Medical College for the past four years on the pretext of getting treated. They meet scores of supporters and live freely in the hospital”, she said.

It may be recalled that after the murder of Madhumita Shukla in Lucknow in 2003, her family had requested that the case be transferred to Uttarakhand since they claimed that they were being threatened by the accused. However, after he was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment, Amarmani and his wife managed to get shifted to the jail in Gorakhpur district.