Jessica Lal Murder Case: Convict Manu Sharma Walks Free

New Delhi: Manu Sharma, accused in the Jessica Lal murder case was released from jail on Monday.

He had served 14 years in jail and was released with the approval of Delhi Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal on the grounds of ‘good behaviour.’

Better known as Siddartha Vashishta, the son of Haryana Congress leader Venod Sharma, Many had shot Jessica Lal (30) on May 30, 1999, after she refused to serve him liquor in a Delhi bar.

As per a report in the Times of India, Sharma was released on the recommendation made at a meeting of the Sentence Review Board (SRB) chaired by Delhi Home Minister Satyendar Jain on May 11.

He was out on parole as part of the steps taken by the prisons to prevent overcrowding amidst the coronavirus crisis.

A trial court had acquitted Sharma of the murder, but the High Court, which later undertook the case amid nationwide outrage and protests, reversed the decision and sentenced him to life imprisonment. Later, in 2010, the Supreme Court had confirmed the sentence.