If Rajiv Gandhi’s killers are released, I should also be released: Swayambhu Baba

New Delhi. Self-styled godman Swami Shraddhanand, who is serving a life sentence for the murder of his wife Shakire Namazi, has urged the Supreme Court to grant him the death penalty for the convicts in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case. Kindly be released from jail.

Shraddhanand said that his case is a perfect example of violation of right to equality. He said that he has spent more than 29 years in jail and has not got parole for a single day. Shraddhanand alias Murli Manohar Mishra had drugged his wife Namaji and buried her alive on April 28, 1991, in the premises of his sprawling bungalow in Bangalore. Namazi, granddaughter of former Mysore dewan Sir Mirza Ismail, married Shraddhanand in 1986 after divorcing former diplomat Akbar Khalili.

Seeking equality with the Rajiv Gandhi assassination convicts, Shraddhanand argued in the apex court that he was sentenced to life imprisonment for a murder case and denied parole for a single day.

The petition, filed through advocate Varun Thakur, states that the petitioner is over 80 years of age and has been in jail since March 1994. The petitioner said, the petitioner was interrogated by the police officers and his judicial confessional statement was recorded. On that basis, the trial court sentenced him to death, which was upheld by the High Court. Though this Court commuted the death sentence to life imprisonment without pardon, the concerned authority misinterpreted the Supreme Court judgment and did not grant parole to the petitioner for even a single day.

The petition said that the apex court recently released the convicts in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case who availed parole and other liberties during the pendency of their appeals.

On the complaint of the Namazi’s daughter, the police investigated the matter and recovered his body after which the self-styled godman was arrested. According to the prosecution, Shraddhanand wanted to usurp his wife’s property.