Manu Sharma, serving life sentence in the Tihar Jail for killing ramp model Jessica Lall in 1999, Wednesday approached the Delhi High Court, seeking parole to attend his brother’s marriage and related functions between Nov 10 and 21.
Parole is the temporary release of a convict from prison before the end of the tenure of his sentence, subject to certain conditions.
Taking note of Sharma’s plea, Justice V.K. Shali issued notice to Delhi Police for their reply within a week.
While issuing notice, however, Justice Shali also referred to Manu Sharma’s conduct while on parole, saying that on earlier occasions he had been visiting discotheques, violated the parole conditions.
Sharma’s counsel told the court that according to the guidelines for granting parole, the conduct of only past one year had to be considered.
The court fixed the next hearing Nov 14. It declined Sharma’s plea for an early hearing, saying: “He need not attend all functions.”
Sharma was awarded life imprisonment by the high court in December 2006 for the murder of Lall in 1999. The life term was upheld by the Supreme Court last year.
Lall was shot dead by Sharma at the Tamarind Court restaurant owned by socialite Bina Ramani at Qutub Colonnade in south Delhi’s Mehrauli area where she had hosted a party.
In September 2009, Sharma was released from jail on a 30-day parole to attend to his ailing mother and perform rituals related to the death of his grandmother.
During the second extension of the parole for another 30 days, Sharma was seen partying in a discotheque. His mother, whose illness was also the basis for the parole, was seen at a media briefing promoting a cricket tournament at Piccadilly – the family-run hotel in Chandigarh.
Following a public uproar, Sharma had to surrender to the jail authority before the expiry of his parole period.
