- Ex-UP minister Amarmani Tripathi, convicted for poet Madhumita Shukla’s murder, to be released from jail.
- Tripathi and his wife, also to be released, have been serving a life term since 2007 but will be freed on the basis of ‘good conduct’ in prison, the UP government said in its order.
- The Samajwadi Party has questioned his release and has mocked the ruling BJP, claiming he is being released as the BJP “needs” him for next year’s election.
- Madhumita Shukla, a fiery poet, was murdered on May 9, 2003; was 24 years old and allegedly Tripathi’s lover.
Former Uttar Pradesh minister Amarmani Tripathi, a convict serving life imprisonment in the murder of poetess Madhumita Shukla, is set to walk free.
The Supreme Court has refused to stay the release of former Uttar Pradesh minister Amarmani Tripathi, who was convicted in the sensational 2003 murder of poet Madhumita Shukla and is to be released from jail. Tripathi and his wife, also to be released, have been serving a life term since 2007 but will be freed on the basis of ‘good conduct’ in prison, the UP government said in its order.
Ms. Shukla’s sister had appealed the release of Tripathi and his wife. The Supreme Court, while declining to interfere in Tripathi’s release, has sought a reply from the UP government in eight weeks.
Then a minister in Mayawati’s government, Tripathi was seen as the Bahujan Samaj Party boss’ right-hand man and had initially claimed he had nothing to do with the gruesome killing.
His denials were up-ended, though, after a DNA test by the Central Bureau of Investigation indicated the child Ms. Shukla was carrying when she was shot dead was his.
Ms. Shukla’s sister has refused to comment on Tripathi’s release beyond stating the Governor must have “taken a call based on government files”. “Cannot comment on the Governor’s decision but I can say that the Governor takes a call based on government files and does so after deep contemplation.”
The Samajwadi Party has also questioned Tripathi’s release and has mocked the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, claiming he is being released as the BJP “needs” him for next year’s election.
Madhumita Shukla, a fiery poet, was murdered on May 9, 2003. Her body was found at her home in Lucknow’s Nishatganj area. Ms. Shukla was 24 years old and allegedly Tripathi’s lover.
Ms Shukla was pregnant when she died and the father was said to be Tripathi, something confirmed after forensics examinations by the CBI. However, Tripathi, also speaking on news channels, insisted he was innocent. “My family and I have nothing to do with this incident,” he said.
The CBI was finally called in and arrested Amarmani Tripathi in September 2003. However, he was released on bail by the Allahabad High Court just seven months later. Amarmani Tripathi, his wife Madhumani, and two others – Rohit Chaturvedi and Santosh Kumar Rai – were convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment by a Dehradun court.
The Uttar Pradesh government issued the release order on Thursday. His wife Madhumani will also walk out of jail as the government has also waived her punishment. According to authorities, both of them have served over 20 years of jail time. The order of their release was given considering their ‘good behaviour’ as well as ‘maintenance of peace’ inside the jail.
Amarmani Tripathi is a gangster-turned-politician in Uttar Pradesh, he was a minister in the Mayawati-led government in 2002-03. Later he switched to the Samajwadi Party. He was a four-term MLA and he contested the assembly election in 2007 from jail on SP ticket. He started his political career with the Communist Party of India and later joined Congress. He also served as a minister in the Kalyan Singh government in 1997, in the Ram Prakash Gupta government in 1999, and in the Rajnath Singh government in 2000.
(With inputs from agencies)
