M A I N   N E W S

Godman to die for wife’s murder

Bangalore, May 21
Self-proclaimed godman Swami Shraddhananda was today sentenced to death by a court here for murdering his wife Shakereh by burying her alive 14 years ago.

Pronouncing the verdict in the sensational case, Additional City Civil and Sessions Judge B.S. Totad wrote in his judgement: “He shall be hanged by his neck till death”.

As the sentence was delivered in a packed court hall, Shakereh’s daughter Sabah broke down and was seen resting her head on the shoulder of her husband Bakhache.

“It’s not a compensation (the judgement); I can’t get my mother back”, Sabah, a former model, told reporters, overcome with emotions. “We were aiming for this (death sentence). We were blessed that victory was on our side”.

A composed Shraddhananda, alias Murli Manohar Mishra, who originally hailed from Sagar in Madhya Pradesh, remained unmoved and showed no emotions as the sentence was pronounced.

Shraddhananda’s counsel said the judgment would be challenged in the high court. — PTI