A day after former Uttar Pradesh Minister Amarmani Tripathi and his wife Madhumani were prematurely released from jail, their son and former Independent MLA Aman Mani Tripathi on Saturday described Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath as his “guardian” with whom he shares a “familial relationship”.
He said the people of his constituency were celebrating the release of his parents. “Like Lord Ram’s return to Ayodhya after 14 years of exile is celebrated as the festival of lights, a similar atmosphere prevails at Nautanwa in Maharajganj district,” said Mr. Tripathi at a press conference.
“The Chief Minister is our guardian and guide. I regularly meet him and seek his blessings. Our relationship is not political, but like family,” he added.
The Tripathis, who were serving life terms for the murder of poet Madhumita Shukla, were freed from prison on Friday evening hours after the Supreme Court declined to stay their premature release.
2018 policy on remission
The move came a day after the Uttar Pradesh Prisons Department issued an order for their premature release, citing the State’s 2018 policy on remission, since the couple has completed 16 years of imprisonment. The department had also cited the couple’s “old age” and “good behaviour” for their early release.
Mr. Amarmani Tripathi was elected four times to the State Assembly. He served as a Minister in the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in 2001 and in the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) government in 2002. The couple was arrested in September 2003 in connection with the murder of the poet.
Shukla, who was pregnant at the time, was shot dead on May 9, 2003, at Paper Mill Colony in Lucknow. The case was probed by the CBI and a Dehradun court sentenced both the Tripathis to life imprisonment for the murder in October 2007. The Nainital High Court and the Supreme Court later upheld the couple’s sentence.
