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Tamil Nadu Woman Begs For Forgiveness For Husband From The Family Of Man He Killed In Kuwait

If the victim's family doesn't pardon him, he will be executed in 10 days.
Manorama News // Youtube

In 2006, director Nagesh Kukunoor's film Dor received rave reviews for its portrayal of the relationship between a widow and the wife of the man who killed her husband. In the movie, the only way Zeenat (Gul Panag) can save her husband from a death sentence is by getting Meera (Ayesha Takia) to pardon him, since he was responsible for her husband's death in a freak accident while the two lived as flatmates in Saudi Arabia.

Malathy, a 37-year-old woman from Tamil Nadu, faces almost the exact conundrum that Gul Panag's character from the film does. On Wednesday, 16 August, Malathy arrived in Kerala to plead for forgiveness for her husband from the family of the man he accidentally killed. Malathy has 10 days to secure pardon for her husband, failing which, he will be executed as per Kuwait's law, reported The News Minute.

Malathy's husband Arjun and the Kerala man were flatmates in Kuwait, back in 2013. According to Malathy, Arjun accidentally stabbed the man during a fight one day, killing him. Arjun was awarded the death penalty in 2016 after three years of being in jail.

However, there is one loophole that can save Arjun's life — according to Sharia law, a person can be acquitted of his crime if a close relative of the victim pardons the convict.

According to The News Minute, Arjun's family has been constantly pleading with his erstwhile flatmate's family for forgiveness since the sentencing last year, but to no avail. Now that time has all but run out, Malathy herself has come to Kerala in one final, desperate attempt to beg for her husband's life.

At present, money is the bone of contention on which Arjun's life hinges. The Kerala man's family has allegedly asked for ₹30 lakh as blood money, but Malathy has no way to raise such a large amount of money so quickly. Even selling her little house in Tamil Nadu will only raise ₹10 lakh.

"I know that the money they ask will not compensate for a life, but I don't know how I will manage. He (Arjun) will be hanged to death in 10 days. I request your help to save my husband," Malathy told local media persons. "We are in a big trouble. We have no way to move forward. At least for the sake of my daughter, I am begging for his life."

The victim is survived by his wife and a 13-year-old daughter. Since he was the sole breadwinner of the house, his death has left them struggling to make ends meet and depend on relatives to pay rent and buy basic necessities.

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This article exists as part of the online archive for HuffPost India, which closed in 2020. Some features are no longer enabled. If you have questions or concerns about this article, please contact indiasupport@huffpost.com.