KTR urges UAE to approve mercy petition of 5 Telangana NRIs languishing in Dubai jail

DUBAI: Telangana IT and Inustries Minister KT Rama Rao (KTR) has urged the United Arab Emirates Government to consider and approve the mercy petition of five NRIs from Rajanna Sircilla district who are languishing in the Aweer Jail in Dubai. KTR, who is in Dubai on a business trip, met the UAE Government officials to intensify his efforts to get the NRIs repatriated at the earliest.

KTR spoke to the Indian Consul General in Dubai, an Arab lawyer who was handling the case, and other Government officials to inquire about the status of the case and urged for the mercy petition approval. Five Indian nationals namely Shivarathri Mallesh, Shivarathri Ravi, Gollem Nampally, Dundugula Laxman and Shivarathri Hanmanthu were lodged in Dubai prison in connection with the death case of a Nepali. The accused had already completed a sentence of 15 years. For years, KTR had been making all possible efforts to get them released.

KTR personally visited Nepal to meet the deceased’s family members to hand over Rs 15 lakh as compensation as per Sharia Law ‘Diyyah’ (also referred to as ‘blood money’). Later, family of the accused submitted the mercy petition documents to the UAE Government. However, due to some reasons and the gravity of the crime, the UAE Government didn’t approve the mercy petition. Even six months ago, the Minister enquired about the progress of the case and made several attempts to get them released.

During his latest trip to Dubai, KTR once again brought the facts of the case to the notice of Indian consul officials and the Dubai Government officers. Expressing his concern, the Minister requested the UAE Government to approve the mercy petition considering that the five NRIs had already served a sentence of 15 years and also held a good conduct certificate from the jail authorities.

As the Dubai court has rejected the case, KTR urged the officials that he had met to get the five Indian nationals repatriated with the approval of the mercy petition by UAE ruler Sheikh Mohammed. Also, the Minister had earlier met a few businessmen who have close ties with the ruler’s family and requested their help in the release of the NRIs. The businessmen assured that they would take up the issue with the Dubai government within the purview of the local laws.

Minister KTR made an earnest appeal to Indian Consul General Ram Kumar to put special efforts into solving the case and promised all the support at the personal level and also from the government side.