Chandigarh:
The man who was found guilty of murdering model Jessica Lall has been granted a two-month parole. Does Manu Sharma deserve this?
Sharma was found guilty of killing model Jessica Lall in 1999, and was sentenced to life in jail by the Supreme Court in 2006. He applied for parole on the grounds that he needs to participate in a ceremony for his grandmother's first death anniversary. He also said that he needed to attend to his family business and his ageing mother.
All perfectly above board, say both his lawyer Ram Jethmalani and the Delhi government, which cleared his case and recommended it to the Lieutenant Governor. Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit insists that she has not done Sharma any favours. She says Sharma meets the pre-requisites for parole. These include good behaviour in prison.
However, over the weekend, he was reportedly spotted at a nightclub in Delhi. And his mother addressed a press conference on Saturday to promote a cricket match she helped organize. Both factors have led to questions about whether she's really ill, as claimed in Sharma's bail application.
The controversy is also embarrassing for Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit, who formally signed off on the parole request. Dikshit insists that she has not done Sharma any favours. She says Sharma meets the pre-requisites for parole. These include good behaviour in prison.
But many senior lawyers say Manu Sharma has benefited from the political clout of his father. Venod Sharma, a senior Congress leader, has just been elected to the Haryana state assembly by a huge margin.
Like Manu Sharma, all convicts with appeals pending in the Supreme Court are entitled to parole. This year, 77 convicts have been granted parole. But what have rattled many in Manu Sharma's case are reports that he was seen at a Delhi nightclub over the weekend. Also, his mother, described as ageing in his parole application, addressed a press conference over the weekend in Chandigarh promoting a cricket match.
"I have nothing against him getting parole but someone should check if he really needed it," says Sabrina Lall, who spent years fighting Manu Sharma in court over her sister's murder.
Manu Sharma's lawyer says he will return to Tihar Jail on the 22nd of November, when his parole expires.