Dancing On The Grave: Swami Shraddhanand seeks stay on docuseries, sends legal notice to Prime Video

Seeking a stay on the new true crime docuseries Dancing On The Grave, Murali Manohar Mishra aka Swami Shraddhanand has said that the docuseries ‘adversely affects’ his legal rights. Murali Manohar was awarded life imprisonment for murder and is currently at Central Jail in Sagar, Madhya Pradesh. (Also read: Dancing on the Grave review)

Pegged as the first local true-crime docu-series on Prime Video, Dancing On The Grave is written and directed by Patrick Graham. The four-episode web series started streaming on April 21. Kanishka Singh Deo has also co-written the docuseries. The series is based on the murder of Shakereh Namazi, who belonged to the erstwhile royal family of Mysore in Karnataka, in the 1990s. Murali Manohar aka Swami Shraddhanand has been convicted in the case. Namazi was buried alive.

As per a Bar and Bench report, Murali Manohar’s rep said in a legal notice sent to India Today and Prime Video, “The said web series (Dancing on The Grave) is related to my client whose case is pending before the Hon’ble Supreme Court in Writ Petition (Crl.) No. 66 of 2014. Your above web series is a clear violation of the law of the land, (and it) adversely affects the legal rights of my client in a subjudice matter before the Hon’ble Supreme Court. Therefore, I hereby call upon you through this Legal notice to please stop circulation/releasing of your above web-series, immediately after receiving the present legal notice.”

The notice further threatened to file a criminal case if the series continues to stream. “Failing which, I have clear instructions to initiate the Civil/Criminal cases against you before the Court of Law for that you shall be sole responsible for all cost and consequences. You are also liable to pay an amount of ₹55,000/- to my client for fees and expenses of this Legal Notice,” it said.

Dancing on The Grave uses archival footage, news clippings, interviews and dramatisations to showcase the murder of Shakereh Khaleeli (maiden name Namazie). It also features Swami Shraddhanand the murderer who also killed his own wife . He was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment nearly 30 years ago. The show is produced by India Today Originals Production.

Shakereh was the granddaughter of former diwan of erstwhile state of Mysore Mirza Ismail and she got married to Shraddhanand in 1986, after her first marriage with former Indian envoy to Iran Akbar K Khaleeli ended. Five years after her marriage with Shraddhanand, Shakereh went missing and her body was exhumed two years later in his backyard.