Supreme court refuses to entertain Shraddhananda’s plea seeking review of life imprisonment
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday declined to hear a review plea filed by Bengaluru-based self-styled godman Swami Shraddhananda, who sought reconsideration of the life imprisonment awarded to him in the sensational Shakere Khaleeli murder case.
The bench comprising Justice J.K. Maheshwari and Justice Vijay Bishnoi advised the petitioner to approach the Karnataka government if he had any grievances regarding the implementation of his sentence.
Following the court’s advice, advocate Varun Thakur, appearing for Shraddhananda, withdrew the petition. Shraddhananda, also known as Murali Manohar Mishra, was convicted for the brutal murder of his wife Shakere Khaleeli, granddaughter of former Mysore Diwan Sir Mirza Ismail.
The crime dates back to 1991, when he allegedly sedated Shakere Khaleeli and buried her alive within the compound of their Bengaluru home, driven by greed for her wealth. The Bengaluru trial court had convicted him and awarded the death penalty, a decision later upheld by the Karnataka High Court.
However, in 2008, a three-judge bench of the Supreme Court commuted the death sentence to life imprisonment without remission, directing that he should remain in prison for the rest of his natural life.
Claiming hardships and seeking reconsideration of this punishment, Shraddhananda approached the top court with a review petition. On Friday, the Supreme Court made it clear that the issue cannot be reopened and advised him to seek remedy from the state government, which deals with sentence-related administrative matters.
With the petition withdrawn, Shraddhananda will continue to serve his life term as mandated by the 2008 Supreme Court judgment.
