The wife of the slain gangster Sanjeev Maheshwari alias Jeeva has moved the Supreme Court seeking permission to participate in the last rites of her husband.

The counsel, representing Payal, mentioned the matter before a vacation bench comprising justices Aniruddha Bose and Rajesh Bindal. Payal, who is also named in the gangster chart, sought one day protection from the bench to attend her husband's funeral.

Uttar Pradesh government counsel contended before the bench that the state government would have no objection if she is permitted to attend the cremation and other last rites. The bench said it will examine the plea on Friday.

During the hearing, the petitioner's lawyer stressed on the importance of closure for Jeeva's family, citing his three sons and daughter and sought a day's protection to participate in the funeral ceremony.

Jeeva, a dreaded shooter from Muzaffarnagar, was killed inside Lucknow court complex on Wednesday evening. He was a co-accused in BJP MLA Krishnanand Rai murder, in which Mukhtar Ansari is also an accused.

He began as a compounder and then became a member of the underworld. He was a close associate of Munna Bajrangi who was shot dead in 2018 in Baghpat jail. (IANS/NS)