Indian Bride
A bride holds flowers with her hands decorated with henna paste during her wedding ceremony in the western Indian city of Ahmedabad Image Credit: REUTERS REUTERS

An Indian woman has married a man convicted of killing her husband. The courts found Monarik Yadav, a resident of the Navichak village in the Gaya district of south Bihar, guilty of killing his elder brother 12 years ago.

Yadav is presently serving a life term at the Buxar open jail in the state and was 28 years old when he was sentenced.

The woman, identified as Malo Devi, said she agreed to marry her former brother-in-law because she "developed a soft corner" for him and believed him "falsely implicated in the murder of my husband".

She added: "Now, my daughters have not only got a father again but he will also help me in finding grooms for them."

The wedding took place in a temple inside the jail campus on Monday, with the rituals performed by an inmate/priest, also serving a life term.

Weddings at Buxar Open Jail

This is not the first wedding involving inmates of the Buxar jail. Earlier this month, a convicted murderer, Janardhan Kamkar, was allowed to marry his daughter from within the jail.

The Buxar facility is an experimental detention centre that allows inmates certain privileges and rights of association. It was built and inaugurated last year with the aim of reintegrating prisoners into society.

Inmates are allowed to live with families in one-room apartments with attached kitchens and bathrooms. It has a total of 104 such apartments and is guarded by walls that are just four feet high, unlike the usual 14-18 feet high walls. The prison also has a gymnasium, a park and a community hall. The facility aims at reintegrating prisoners into society.