Tripathi UP146;s saviour: CM

Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav today returned, in kind, Amarmani Tripathi8217;s favour of saving his government during the no-co...

Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav today returned, in kind, Amarmani Tripathi8217;s favour of saving his government during the no-confidence motion. Refusing to take any action against Tripathi after his arrest by the CBI, Mulayam called the murder accused in the Madhumita Shukla murder case 8216;8216;the saviour of Uttar Pradesh8217;8217;.

8216;8216;He has saved the state by quitting the BSP and joining the SP. There is no question of any action against him despite the fact that the CBI has arrested him,8217;8217; the SP chief said. Today, Tripathi was remanded to judicial custody till October 6 in connection with the murder. Madhumita was killed at her Paper Mill colony residence in Lucknow on May 9.

While the CBI wanted to keep him under its custody for more interrogation, Tripathi8217;s counsel argued that the investigating agency had already questioned his client more than once. The court agreed with the defence plea and sent the former BSP minister to judicial remand. Agency sources indicated that more arrests were on the cards, including that of Tripathi8217;s wife Madhumani. She was present in Lucknow on the day of the murder and the CBI claims to have evidence to link her with it.

High drama prevailed at the VIP Guest house in Dalibagh where the CBI brought Tripathi early today morning from the government hospital where he was admitted late last night after he complained of chest pain. Mediamen and Tripathi8217;s supporters were assembled at the guest house for a glimpse of the man kept under close watch in a room on the second floor.

Apart from the test that matched Tripathi8217;s DNA with that of the foetus Madhumita was carrying, the CBI is said to have got other clinching evidence from the questioning of an undertrial in Pilibhit jail. Raju Pandey, a relative of Madhumani, has seven cases against him and was reportedly given shelter at the Lawrence Road residence of Tripathi while he was on the run after committing a murder in Pilibhit.

CBI sources say Tripathi presented Pandey as Satya Prakash to everyone. This hampered investigations as in the initial days, the investigators kept looking for Satya Prakash, who Madhumita8217;s servant testified had come to see her on the day of the murder. Pandey, sources added, has also informed the CBI about the man who accompanied him to Madhumita8217;s house.

While happy at Tripathi8217;s arrest, Madhumita8217;s mother Shanti Shukla wants action to be also taken against his wife. 8216;8216;She should be arrested because she had been humiliating my daughter for her proximity to the former minister,8217;8217; she said today.