Self-styled godman convicted for killing wife moves Supreme Court for release
seeks parity with Rajiv Gandhi assassins
New Delhi, Nov 17: Self-styled godman Shraddhananda, who is serving life sentence for the murder of his wife Shakereh Namazi, has moved the Supreme Court seeking release from prison like the convicts in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case.
Alleging that his is a classic case of violation of the right to equality, Shraddhananda said he has already spent over 29 years in jail without getting a single day's parole.
Shraddhananda alias Murli Manohar Mishra had drugged Namazi and buried her alive in the compound of her sprawling bungalow in Bangalore on April 28, 1991.
Shakereh, grand-daughter of Sir Mirza Ismail, former Diwan of Mysore, had married Sharddhananda in 1986 after divorcing Akbar Khaleeli, a former diplomat.
Seeking parity with the convicts of the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, Shraddhananda has contended before the apex court that he was sentenced to life imprisonment without remission or parole for a single murder.
The plea filed through his lawyer Varun Thakur said the petitioner is over 80 years old and has been incarcerated in jail since March 1994.
"In fact, the petitioner was interrogated by police authority and his judicial confession taken. On that basis he was awarded death sentence by the trial court which was upheld by high court. However, this court converted his death sentence into life sentence without remission, but authority concerned wrongly interpreted the Supreme Court judgment and did not give a single-day parole to the petitioner," the plea submitted.
The plea said recently the top court released the convicts in the Rajiv
Gandhi assassination case, who also enjoyed the benefit of parole and other liberty during the pendency of their petitions.
"The petitioner was involved in only one criminal case and not released for a single day parole, and on other hand those accused in the assassination of the ex-prime minister, enjoyed every benefit including remission/ parole," the plea submitted.
"Hence, not listing the subject writ petition is great violation of fundamental rights. It is also noted that many other prisoners involved in heinous crime are also released but the present petitioner was not released, which is a violation of the right
of equality. This is a classic case of violation of right to equality," the plea submitted.
Seeking urgent hearing on his plea, Shraddhananda had said his plea for a grant of remission and parole was filed in 2014 but it has been pending after the top court issued notice to the Karnataka government.
On a complaint lodged by Namazi's daughter, police had worked out the case and exhumed her body after which the self-styled godman was arrested.
According to the prosecution, Shraddhananda wanted to grab his wife's property.
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Strict security measures in place in Mumbai for Messi's events at 2 venues Dec 14, say police
Mumbai (PTI): In view of Argentine superstar footballer Lionel Messi's visit to Mumbai on Sunday, the city police are implementing stringent security measures, like not allowing water bottles, metals, coins inside the stadiums and setting up watchtowers to keep an eye on the crowd, officials said.
The police also said taking extra care to avoid any stampede-like situation and to prevent recurrence of the chaotic situation that unfolded in Kolkata during Messi's visit on Saturday as thousands of fans protested inside the Salt Lake stadium here after failing to catch a clear glimpse of the football icon despite paying hefty sums for tickets.
Messi is expected to be present at the Cricket Club of India (Brabourne Stadium) in Mumbai on Sunday for a Padel GOAT Cup event followed by attending a celebrity football match. He is expected to proceed to the Wankhede Stadium for the GOAT India Tour main event around 5 pm.
"In view of Lionel Messi's visit to Mumbai, the police are geared up and have put in place a high level of security arrangements in and around the stadiums located in south Mumbai. Considering the chaos that prevailed in Kolkata and the security breach, we have deployed World Cup-level security arrangements at Brabourne and Wankhede stadiums," an official said.
Expecting heavy crowd near the stadiums during Messi's visit, the city police force has deployed more than 2,000 of its personnel near and around both the venues, he said.
As the Mumbai police have the experience of security 'bandobast' during the victory parade of ICC World Cup-winning Indian team and World Cup final match at the Wankhede Stadium, in which over one lakh cricket fans had gathered, we are prepared to handle a large crowd of fans, he said.
"We are trying to avoid the errors that occurred in the past," the official said.
There is no place to sneak inside the stadiums in Mumbai like the Kolkata stadium, according to him.
The police are also asking the organisers to provide all the required facilities to the fans inside the stadium, so that there will be no chaos, he said, adding the spectators have purchased tickets in the range of Rs 5,000 to 25,000. After paying so much of amount, any spectator expects proper services, while enjoying the event, he said.
The police are expecting 33,000 spectators at the Wankhede Stadium and over 4,000 at Brabourne Stadium. Besides this, more than 30,000 people are expected outside and around the stadiums just to have a glimpse of the football sensation, he said.
The organisers responsible for Messi's India visit recently came to Mumbai to discuss security arrangements. During the meeting, the Mumbai police asked them not to take the event lightly, according to the official.
After those requirements were fulfilled, the final security deployment was chalked out, he said.
Police has the standard procedure of the security arrangements inside the Wankhede Stadium, where people are barred from taking water bottles, metals objects, coins. Police are setting up watch towers near the stadiums and there will be traffic diversions, so that there is maximum space available to stand, according to the official.
Police are also appealing to the spectators to use public transport service for commuting and avoid personal vehicles to reach south Mumbai.
To avoid any stampede-like situation, police are also taking precautionary measures and will stop the fans some distance ahead of the stadium and public announcement systems will be used to guide the crowd. Barricades will be placed at various places to manage the crowd.
In case the crowd swells up beyond expectation, the police will divert people to other grounds and preparations in this regard underway, he said.
Additional police force has been deployed in south Mumbai to tackle any kind of situation, he said.
