Former Samajwadi Party leader Amarmani Tripathi, serving life term, along with his wife Madhumani in the murder of poetess Madhumita Shukla, has moved a mercy petition before Governor Bl Joshi on Wednesday. He sought relief in the punishment on grounds of his and his wife’s illness.
However, Nidhi Shukla, sister of the slain poetess, has also met the Governor at Raj Bhawan and opposed the application of the convicted couple. Reports said that in the mercy petition, former Minister Amarmani and his wife Madhumani claimed that they were quite ill and they are not getting treatment. They also claimed that their both children have grown up and they are facing difficulty in their marriage. The petition is said to have been sent to the Governor last week seeking to waive off their remaining punishment.
Nidhi Shukla, who met the Governor claimed that she has placed all the facts before the Governor and claimed that even review petitions of the convicted couple has been rejected by the Supreme Court twice. “When the SC has not entertained the couple then how could they move a mercy petition before the Governor,’’ she said. Nidhi also submitted an application to the Governor alleging that Amarmani is a noted criminal and grade A history-sheeter of Gorakhpur and there are around 33 cases pending against him. “CBI has presented all the evidences against the couple and all are proved in all the courts after which they were convicted with life term,’’ she said. Amarmani and Madhumani are presently staying at the Baba Raghav Das Medical College at Gorakhpur in police custody and were receiving treatment. Amarmani is very close to the ruling Samajwadi Party in the State and even his son contested the last Assembly elections on the party ticket but lost.