SC notices to former UP minister Amarmani Tripathi

New Delhi, Apr 27 (UNI) The Supreme Court today issued notices to former UP minister Amarmani Tripathi, main accused in Madhumita Shukla murder case, on a petition seeking the transfer of the trial to some other court.

A bench comprising Justices Ashok Bhan and VS Sirpurkar issued notices after hearing counsel for the petitioner Nidhi Shukla, younger sister of the deceased, who contended that since the present trial judge happens to be a close friend of Tripathi, fair trial in the case was not possible in his court.

The apex court had earlier transferred the trial of the case from Uttar Pradesh to Dehradun, Uttarakhand on the ground that Tripathi, an MLA, was influencing the witnesses from jail as he had a tremendous clout in the state being very close to the Mulayam Singh government.

Madhumita was allegedly killed after she started pressing Tripathi for marriage on becoming pregnant as a result of illicit relationship between the two. The wife of Tripathi is also an accused in the case and is on bail. Madhumita was a Hindi poet.

Tripathi is contesting the Assembly elections in UP from Maharajganj constituency from jail after he was permitted to file his nomination under a Supreme Court order.

UNI