The Supreme Court refused to intervene in the long-pending mercy plea of Swami Shraddhananda, convicted for the brutal 1991 murder of Bengaluru socialite Shakereh Khaleeli. The Court said the matter did not require its interference under Article 32.
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday refused to hear a petition asking for quick action on the mercy plea of 87-year-old Swami Shraddhananda, who has been in jail for more than 30 years after being convicted for murdering his wife, Shakereh Khaleeli. Khaleeli was a well-known socialite from Bengaluru and the granddaughter of Sir Mirza Ismail, the former Dewan of Mysore.
A Bench of Justices JK Maheshwari and Vijay Bishnoi said that the issue did not need the Court’s interference under Article 32 of the Constitution, and therefore declined to step in.
The petitioner had requested the Court to tell the government to decide the mercy plea quickly, pointing out Shraddhanand’s old age, serious health issues, and the very long time he has already spent in prison.
Shraddhanand, also called Murali Manohar Mishra, is serving a sentence of life imprisonment without remission for the 1991 murder of his wife. The case is one of Karnataka’s most shocking and widely discussed criminal cases.
Shakereh was drugged, buried alive in the courtyard of her own home, and her body was found years later during investigation.
Due to the extremely brutal nature of the crime, the Karnataka High Court had earlier confirmed the death sentence, but in 2008 the Supreme Court changed it to imprisonment for the rest of his life, without any possibility of remission.
Advocate Varun Thakur, appearing for the petitioner, argued that keeping the mercy plea pending for such a long time violated fundamental rights, especially considering the convict’s age and medical condition.
The plea highlighted that Shraddhanand had already spent much more time in jail than a normal life sentence requires, and that the government had no valid reason for delaying the decision on his mercy plea.
In July, the Supreme Court had expressed strong concern about the nature of the offence. Chief Justice BR Gavai had remarked,
“Look at the case, what about the lady you murdered and buried in her own house?”
while referring to the high-profile murder that caused widespread public shock and led to Shraddhananda’s death sentence in 2005, later reduced in 2008.
Earlier, on May 13, Chief Justice Gavai had noted,
“Serious case, serious allegations. List after vacations.”
On January 24, the Supreme Court had sought the Central Government’s response on the mercy plea. On the same date, the Court had also asked for the government’s reply in the connected proceedings.
Before that, in September 2024, the Supreme Court had issued notice in the review petition filed by Shraddhanand, who continues to serve life imprisonment for the murder.
Back in April 2023, the Supreme Court had rejected Shraddhanand’s plea for parole but allowed him to withdraw a writ petition that had been pending for around 10 years. The Court had clarified that withdrawing this writ petition would not affect his right to pursue other legal remedies.
Last year, Shraddhanand had also approached the Court seeking a stay on the release of the Amazon Prime documentary series Dancing On The Grave, arguing that it was prejudicing his case still being considered by the Supreme Court.
The case dates back to 1991, when Shraddhanand murdered his wife by giving her sedative drugs and then burying her alive in the backyard of their Bengaluru home. Her remains were found in 1994, and Shraddhanand was arrested.
In 2000, the Trial Court convicted him and awarded the death penalty. This decision was upheld by the Karnataka High Court in 2005. In 2008, the Supreme Court confirmed his conviction but changed the punishment from death to life imprisonment without remission.
Case Title:
Swamy Shraddananda @ Murali Manohar Mishra v. Union of India,
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