A Keralite lodged in a Kuwaiti jail in connection with the accidental killing of his friend has secured an affidavit of pardon from the victim’s family in Andhra Pradesh after paying blood money.

The affidavit, which was forwarded on Thursday to the Indian Embassy in Kuwait through the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs, is expected to earn him relief from death penalty under the Shariat law.

The wife of the deceased Suresh Ambati, a native of Cuddapah in Andhra Pradesh, signed the papers on Wednesday after accepting Rs 15 lakh as blood money (compensation for the murder) from the relatives of the jailed Simil. She agreed to take the money after the friends of Ambati spoke to her from Kuwait and convinced her that the death was accidental. The deal would not have materialised but for the joint efforts of Opposition leader Oommen Chandy and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhar Reddy.

While Mr Chandy initiated efforts to raise Rs 10 lakh from Simil’s friends and acquaintances, the remaining Rs 5 lakh came from the Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister’s relief fund.

A three-member team from Cherthala, Simil’s hometown, had left for Cuddapah to hand over the money two days ago.

Opposition

Team member Sabu said they encountered opposition from local people against accepting the money. It was the intervention of Rajampet MP Sai Prathap Annayyagari that helped to diffuse the situation.

Simil, who belongs to a poor family of Cherthala in Alappuzha, has been working as a janitor in a Kuwaiti resort. In November last year, he accidentally stabbed his friend Ambati, 31 who died in a few minutes. Simil immediately surrendered to the Kuwaiti police and was subsequently convicted.

According to the Shariat law, if the immediate relative of the victim pardons the crime, his sentence will be reduced. Simil’s case is scheduled to come up before a Kuwaiti court on Friday.