SC to U’khand: Expedite consideration ofremission plea of Madhumita murder convict

Dehradun: The Supreme Court, in the case related to the 2003 murder of poet Madhumita Shukla in Lucknow, issued a directive to Uttarakhand govt to expedite the consideration of the remission plea by convict Rohit Chaturvedi.The apex court in its directive in the last week of Jan stipulated that "the appropriate authority of the central govt shall render pertinent decisions within one month from the receipt of the recommendation of the state govt".The SC further outlined a precise timeline for the state-level committee responsible for assessing Chaturvedi's plea for premature release. It has been mandated to submit its recommendation "within one week", with the state govt rendering a decision "within the following fortnight".The state's decision must subsequently be forwarded to the central govt for concurrence within three days, it stated in its directive. The next date of hearing has been fixed on March 28.Notably, the backdrop of the directive encompasses a legal clarification by SC regarding the appropriate authority to handle remission pleas. This clarification follows a determination from Jan 8, 2024, overturning an earlier verdict and "establishing that the state where the trial and conviction transpire should handle such matters".Madhumita Shukla (26) was killed at her residence in Lucknow on May 9, 2003. Amarmani Tripathi, a former UP minister, was apprehended and convicted alongside other accused for conspiracy and murder in a trial that was transferred to Uttarakhand.Madhumita was seven months pregnant with Tripathi's child when she was shot dead. The two assailants who shot her were also convicted along with Tripathi's kin Rohit Chaturvedi, who enlisted them. Her refusal to terminate pregnancy despite persistent pressure from Tripathi became the catalyst for their plot to eliminate her, a CBI investigation had stated.Tripathi, an influential politician in UP, secured his own release in 2023 from judicial custody along with his wife and fellow convict Madhumani under govt's remission policy for those serving life terms.