The Uttar Pradesh Prisons Administration department has given the green light for the release of former minister Amarmani Tripathi and his wife Madhumani Tripathi. The couple is serving a life sentence following their conviction in the murder case of poetess Madhumita Shukla.

The fateful incident occurred on May 9, 2003, when Madhumita Shukla, a 24-year-old budding poet and reportedly the romantic interest of Amarmani, was fatally shot at close range by two assailants in her two-room apartment in Lucknow’s Paper Mill Colony. She was seven months pregnant at the time.

Currently incarcerated at Gorakhpur Jail, both Amarmani and Madhumani will be released upon the presentation of a bond. Their life sentences were handed down by a Dehradun court back in 2007.

Their release order has been issued due to their ‘good behavior and role in maintaining peace’ during their time behind bars. The couple has spent over two decades in prison.

Amarmani and Madhumani are presently at Gorakhpur’s Baba Raghav Das (BRD) Medical College, where they have spent a significant portion of their sentence receiving “treatment” for various medical conditions.

UP Prisons Minister Dharamveer Prajapati explained, “Prisoner releases are determined by their conduct while incarcerated. These decisions are made only after receiving directives from the Chief Minister and Governor.”

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The investigation into the case was diligently carried out by SHO of PS Mahanagar, Lucknow, Ajay Kumar Chaturvedi. Chaturvedi gathered all pertinent evidence, including a diary belonging to the deceased, provided protection to a lone witness, a servant, and conducted a thorough inquiry into Amarmani Tripathi’s residence.

In 2012, Amarmani’s son Amanmani Tripathi contested as a candidate from the Samajwadi Party in the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections. Amarmani, despite being incarcerated, managed to record a video to convey his message.

Justices Aniuddha Bose and Bela M Trivedi have issued notices to the state government, Tripathi, and his wife. They are requesting responses within eight weeks.

This action follows a plea submitted by the poet’s sister, Nidhi Shukla. She asserted that the couple had manipulated their release criteria by referring to unrelated orders from the Supreme Court.