NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Friday in its order refused to entertain a plea filed by the 84-year-old self-styled spiritual leader, Swami Shraddananda -- sentenced to a 30-year jail sentence without remission, for killing his wife -- seeking a review of the verdict which directed that he should remain in prison for life.
A two-judge bench of the apex court, headed by Justice JK Maheshwari and Justice Vijay Bishnoi, asked the petitioner, Shraddananda, to approach the Karnataka government for his grievances.
Advocate Varun Thakur, appearing for the petitioner, then withdrew the plea and matter was dismissed as withdrawn.
The self-styled spiritual leader had on January this year, moved the Supreme Court, in a fresh plea, seeking a direction to the authorities to decide his mercy plea filed before the President in December, 2023. The mercy petition was pending for consideration.
As the petitioner was suffering from multiple diseases, the advocate sought a direction from the apex court to the respondent authorities to decide on his mercy petition. "The mercy petition shall be decided as soon as possible," he had said.
Last year on September 11, the bench of the top court, headed by Justice Gavai, was hearing a review petition filed by Shraddhanand, seeking reconsideration of a judgment which imposed on him a life sentence (without remission) for killing his wife Shakereh Khaleeli (granddaughter of Dewan of Mysore, Sir Mirza Ismail). His petition sought release from jail.
After hearing his plea, the court, although, had refused to entertain his writ petition seeking release from jail, however, agreed to hear his separate plea seeking review of the apex court's July 2008 verdict, which had directed that he shall not be released from prison till the rest of his life.
Shraddananda, in a surprise argument, had earlier told the top court that he desperately pleaded for release, as he had said that his imprisonment till his biological death awarded to him is far worse than capital punishment. "I want my jail sentence to be changed to hanging," he had told the apex court. After hearing this, the court observed, "You want your jail sentence to be changed to hanging. But why?"
The top court had earlier refused the request of Shraddananda that he should be allowed to decide his jail sentence. "It is not convict's right to decide his or her jail sentence," the apex court had said.
Shraddananda sought relief from the top court on the ground that he has been in "continuous incarceration" without any parole or remission so far and nothing adverse has been reported against him during his stay in jail. He claimed that he is suffering from health issues and thereby this court should release him from jail.
He was sentenced to 30 years in jail without any remission, in connection with the killing of his wife, Khaleeli, who was the granddaughter of a former Dewan of the princely state of Mysore.
The trial Court and the High Court had sentenced him to death, but the sentence was commuted by the Supreme Court in 2008 to imprisonment until death.
Shraddhanand sought a direction for his release, saying that the sentence imposed on him was in some terms, worse than a death sentence. What is the purpose of the state infusing funds to maintain him in jail if he is never to come out?, he asked. "Nothing adverse has been reported against me, since my sentencing, and that I have won 5five best qaidi (prisoner) awards, so thereby this court should take all the se factors into consideration and release me from jail," he said.