Eighty-four-year-old murder convict Murali Manohar Mishra, also known as Swami Shraddhanand, who is serving a life sentence for the murder of his wife Shakereh Khaleeli, has moved the Supreme Court seeking parole. This is Shraddhanand’s second such plea before the top court.
It is noteworthy that Khaleeli was the granddaughter of the former Diwan of Mysore. Mishra has been imprisoned for her murder for over 30 years. He is currently housed in a jail in Sagar district, Madhya Pradesh (MP). A web series titled Dancing on the Grave, available on Amazon Prime Video, documents this notorious case.
In addition to seeking parole, Shraddhanand has requested directions to restrain the streaming of the show. A Bench of Justices MM Sundresh and Aravind Kumar has sought responses from the Union government, the Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka governments, as well as from India Today Group and Amazon regarding the matter.
In April 2023, the Apex Court had refused to entertain Shraddhanand’s application for parole. That order was issued in response to multiple applications filed by Shraddhanand, including pleas for interim medical bail, parole, and a stay on the streaming of the show about him.
The web series portrays the circumstances and background of Khaleeli’s murder, for which Shraddhanand was found guilty of burying her alive at their home in Bengaluru. It is contended that the series prejudices his pending plea for remission before the Supreme Court. The current plea, filed through advocate Varun Thakur, makes similar requests.
