The Supreme Court on Monday dismissed a bail application of former Uttar Pradesh Minister Amar Mani Tripathi, the main accused in the murder of Hindi poet Madhumita Shukla with whom he was said to be romantically involved.
A bench of judges Ashok Bhan and Justice Dalveer Bhandari dismissed the application, saying Tripathi could not be released on bail as several prosecution witnesses were yet to be examined in the case.
The apex court in September 2005 had cancelled the bail granted to Amarmani and his wife by the Allahabad High Court on April 29 and July 8, 2004 respectively.
Shukla was gunned down in her two-bedroom flat in Lucknow on May 9, 2003. According to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) that is probing the case, her diary and mobile phone records contain incriminating evidence pointing to her deep involvement with Tripathi. She was six-months pregnant at the time of her death.