Former state minister Amarmani Tripathi and his wife Madhumani Tripathi, serving life ter

Former state minister Amarmani Tripathi and his wife Madhumani Tripathi, serving life term after being convicted of murdering poetess Madhumita Shukla, moved a mercy petition before Governor Ram Naik seeking pardon on grounds of deteriorating health.

However, Madhumita’s younger sister Nidhi Shukla filed a petition with the office of the Governor, requesting him to reject the couple’s petition citing ‘danger’ to her family’s life.This would be the second time that the Tripathi  couple have moved such a petition. Just a year back they had moved a similar petition before the then governor B l Joshi which was not even considered. Raj Bhawan sources, however, said  they were not aware of such a petition.

Talking over telephone on Thursday morning, Nidhi Shukla told media persons that she came to know about the mercy petition and has urged the governor not to entertain it at any cost.  Shukla also said that she will also approach the Nainital High Court and urge the court to shift them to Haridwar jail in Uttarakhand.

``Amarmani has a long criminal history and her family’s life would be in danger if he came out of the jail,’ she said while adding that the couple are in Gorakhpur medical college hospital without any ailment. Both Amarmani and Madhumani have been undergoing treatment at B R Medical College in Gorakhpur for over the two years. The Samajwadi Party had given the ticket to Tripathi’s son Amanmani Tripathi from Nautanva during the last Assembly elections, but he lost.

On May 8, 2003, two assailants had shot dead 26-year-old Madhumita, a Hindi poetess, at her residence in Paper Mill Colony under Mahanagar police station in lucknow. later,her sister Nidhi claimed that Madhumita was in a relationship with Amarmani, a minister in the Mayawati-led BSP government, and he had got her killed as she also carry her child.   Mayawati expelled him from the party and referred the case to the CBI, which arrested Amarmani, his wife and other  accused.   Following a petition by Nidhi Shukla, the trial of the case was transferred to Uttarakhand by the Supreme Court.

In 2007, the CBI court convicted Amarmani, Madhumani and two others, including Amarmani’s nephew Rohit Chaturvedi, for hatching a conspiracy and killing Madhumita.   In July 2012, the Uttarakhand High Court upheld the life term awarded by the CBI court to all the four. The court also awarded life imprisonment to Prakash Pandey, another associate of Tripathi who was earlier let off by the court in Dehradun for want of evidence.  later, Amarmani had filed a special leave petition in the Supreme Court to review the punishment, which was rejected in July, 2013.