Hardliners in the regime (Prime Minister Asadollah Alam, SAVAK head Nematollah Nassiri) favored execution of Khomeini, as one responsible for the riots, and (less-violent) strikes and protests continued in bazaars and elsewhere.
Fateme Pakravan –  wife of Hassan Pakravan, chief of SAVAK –  says in her memoirs that her husband saved Khomeini's life in 1963.
Pakravan felt that his execution would anger the common people of Iran.
He presented his argument to the Shah.
Once he had convinced the Shah to allow him to find a way out, he called on Ayatollah Mohammad-Kazem Shariatmadari, one of the senior religious leaders of Iran, and asked for his help.
Shariatmadari suggested that Khomeini be declared a Marja.
So, other Marjas made a religious decree which was taken by Pakravan and Seyyed Jalal Tehrani to the Shah.
Pakravan's saving of Khomeini's life cost him his own.
 After the revolution when he was given a death sentence, a personal contact of Pakravan with close ties to Khomeini went to seek his pardon and reminded Khomeini that Pakravan had saved his life, to which Khomeini replied "he should not have."

After nineteen days in the Qasr Prison, Khomeini was moved first to the Eshratabad military base and then to a house in the Davoodiyeh section of Tehran where he was kept under surveillance.
He was released on April 7, 1964, and returned to Qom.
Hardliners in the regime (Prime Minister Asadollah Alam, SAVAK head Nematollah Nassiri) favored execution of Khomeini, as one responsible for the riots, and (less-violent) strikes and protests continued in bazaars and elsewhere. Fateme Pakravan –  wife of Hassan Pakravan, chief of SAVAK –  says in her memoirs that her husband saved Khomeini's life in 1963. Pakravan felt that his execution would anger the common people of Iran. He presented his argument to the Shah. Once he had convinced the Shah to allow him to find a way out, he called on Ayatollah Mohammad-Kazem Shariatmadari, one of the senior religious leaders of Iran, and asked for his help. Shariatmadari suggested that Khomeini be declared a Marja. So, other Marjas made a religious decree which was taken by Pakravan and Seyyed Jalal Tehrani to the Shah. Pakravan's saving of Khomeini's life cost him his own.  After the revolution when he was given a death sentence, a personal contact of Pakravan with close ties to Khomeini went to seek his pardon and reminded Khomeini that Pakravan had saved his life, to which Khomeini replied "he should not have."
After nineteen days in the Qasr Prison, Khomeini was moved first to the Eshratabad military base and then to a house in the Davoodiyeh section of Tehran where he was kept under surveillance. He was released on April 7, 1964, and returned to Qom.
1963 demonstrations in Iran