Swamy Shraddananda Seeks Mercy: A 30-Year Journey

Swamy Shraddananda, serving a life sentence for the murder of his wife, has moved the Supreme Court seeking consideration of his pending mercy plea before the President. The court instructed the matter be heard next week. Shraddananda has been in prison for 30 years without parole.

Swamy Shraddananda, an 84-year-old inmate serving a life sentence for the murder of his wife 30 years ago, is pushing for his pending mercy plea to be reviewed by authorities before the President in December 2023. His case was presented before the Supreme Court, with Justices B R Gavai and Augustine George Masih emphasizing the next steps in the process.

According to Varun Thakur, the legal representative of Shraddananda, he has been incarcerated for three decades without parole, living with multiple ailments. The Supreme Court, in a 2008 ruling, had authorized his life sentence without the possibility of parole after his appeal for leniency was denied.

Despite comparisons to other high-profile cases, such as the Rajiv Gandhi assassination convicts who received parole, Shraddananda remains incarcerated. The plea outlines constitutional articles related to presidential pardons in hopes for clemency but awaits further deliberation by the legal system.

(With inputs from agencies.)