Supreme Court Issues Notice on Review Plea by Godman Serving Life Sentence Without Remission for Wife's Murder

The Supreme Court has issued notice on a review petition filed by 84-year-old Swami Shraddhanand, also known as Murali Manohar Mishra, seeking a reconsideration of the life sentence without remission imposed on him for the murder of his wife, Shakereh Khaleeli, in 1994. The bench, comprising Justices BR Gavai, Prashant Kumar Mishra, and KV Viswanathan, also condoned the 12-year delay in filing the review, citing the fact of Shraddhanand's prolonged incarceration.

Shraddhanand, who has been in prison for nearly 30 years, argued that his life sentence was worse than a death penalty, as it precluded any possibility of release. His counsel questioned the rationale behind keeping him in jail indefinitely, pointing out that Shraddhanand had not faced any adverse reports since his conviction and had won five awards as the "best prisoner." The plea emphasized whether the convicted individual had reformed and cited Articles 14, 19, and 21 of the Indian Constitution, along with Section 432 of the CrPC, arguing that the sentence infringed upon his rights to parole and furlough.

The court also dismissed a writ petition filed by Shraddhanand seeking parole, noting that a similar plea filed in 2014 had been withdrawn in 2023. The petition also sought a stay on the streaming of Amazon Prime’s docuseries Dancing on the Grave, which is based on Khaleeli’s murder.

Senior Advocate Sanjay Hegde, representing Khaleeli’s daughter from her first marriage, strongly objected to the relief sought by Shraddhanand. The bench has directed the governments of Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka to submit their responses to the review petition.

Shraddhanand was convicted in 2000 for drugging and burying Khaleeli alive after she executed a power of attorney in his favor. The Supreme Court commuted his death sentence to life imprisonment in 2008.