Slain poetess Madhumita Shukla’s sister, Nidhi, is ‘shocked’ after the Uttar Pradesh Prisons Administration department issued an order to release former minister Amarmani Tripathi and his wife Madhumani Tripathi. The ‘bahubali-neta’ family is serving life imprisonment after being convicted in Madhumita’s murder.
Expressing her doubts that Uttar Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel was ‘misled’ to stamp the release order, Nidhi Shukla informed that the Supreme Court will on Friday will hear a “contempt of court case” in a matter related to her sister’s murder.
“The decision is shocking as I’ve been writing to the Uttar Pradesh government and the governor for the last 15 days, informing them that a plea (in connection with Madhumita’s murder) has been filed and accepted in the Supreme Court. And a hearing will take place on August 25, at 11 am. Hence, I’m amazed on what basis was the order passed,” Nidhi said in a video message.
She further said, “I’m sure the Governor was mislead to give her stamp on this order. I request that till Supreme Court’s verdict isn’t out, the order to release Amarmani and Madhumani Tripathi be stayed. I request the authorities to please show some respect for my years of struggle till the apex court’s ruling.”
The Prison Administration and Reforms Department issued its order with the permission of the Governor. Currently, the husband-wife duo are lodged in Gorakhpur Jail and will be released from jail on presenting a bond.
The Special Judge/Sessions Judge of Dehradun had sentenced Amarmani Tripathi and his wife Madhumani Tripathi to life imprisonment for Madhumita’s murder.
Reacting to the development, Congress spokesperson Anshu Awasthi said, “Releasing Amarmani is not fair at all. How can the government leave a person of criminal background, found guilty in the CBI investigation? The petition is being heard in the Supreme Court. Madam Governor herself is a woman. At least she should be well aware of the facts of the horrific Madhumita murder case. It was an extremely shocking incident.”
What is Madhumita Shukla Case?
Madhumita Shukla was a young poet, who had risen to fame for her ‘veer-ras’ poems. She was the star of many ‘Kavi Sammelans’. Madhumita belonged to Lakhimpur Kheri in Uttar Pradesh and had started gaining prominence when she was aged 16-17. The poetess was popular for targeting big political leaders in her poems.
Reportedly, ‘bahubali neta’ Amarmani Tripathi, who was then an MLA and a former minister in the Samajwadi Party government, was Madhumita’s so-called lover. She used to live in a two-room apartment in Paper Mill Colony in Lucknow, where she was shot dead from close range by two people on May 9, 2003. Madhumita was found to be seven-months pregnant at the time of her death.
Post-mortem report later revealed that the foetus that Madhumita was carrying matched with Amarmani Tripathi’s DNA. The politician had initially denied having an affair with the slain poetess but DNA evidence proved him wrong.
The former state minister and his wife were convicted for hatching a conspiracy and killing of Madhumita in 2003. They were sentenced to life imprisonment in 2007.
In 2015, News18 did a sting operation and found Amarmani living a “luxurious life” in a hospital, in his home district on Gorakhpur. Amarmani and his wife were shifted here from a jail in Uttarakhand for treatment of depression and mental stress. In a conversation recorded on hidden cameras, the former minister had claimed that he has influence in the government and can get anyone posted at any place he/she wants.
Earlier this year, Discovery channel released a documentary series ‘Love Kills: Madhumita Shukla Hatyakand’ that explores the tale of gruesome murder of the 24-year-old around two decades ago.
The murder led to political turmoil with Amarmani at the centre of the chaos. The description of the documentary mentioned, “No one could have imagined that the killing would unpack a complex web of lies and power politics.”
Who is Amarmani Tripathi
• He’s a gangster-turned-politician in Uttar Pradesh. Tripathi was a minister in the Mayawati-led government in 2002-03. Later he switched to the Samajwadi Party.
• Tripathi was also a four-term MLA and he contested 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, in the Rajnath Singh government in 2000.
Amarmani Tripathi’s Son, Amanmani, Too Has a Notorious Background
Amanmani Tripathi is an accused in the murder of his wife, Sara Singh. She was killed on July 9, 2015. “During the investigation, it was found that after her marriage, Sara Singh was allegedly being subjected to physical torture and cruelty by the accused. She was allegedly murdered on July 9, 2015 with a premeditated plan to get rid of her by the accused and others. The accused framed it as a fake road accident and presented the same as cause of death of victim Sara Singh,” the Central Bureau of Investigation said in a statement after formally charging Aman in 2017.
Sara’s mother, Seema, had later said that Amanmani’s parents were against his marriage with Sara. CLICK TO READ FULL DETAILS
