Jessica Lal Murder and the Justice

Jessica Lal murder and the Justice This is a shocking story of the Jessica Lal, who aspiring for some extra money by working as a bar tender at a swinging party was shot point blank by a person who was refused a drink. A cold-blooded murder, in full view of over 100 people, is finally dismissed for want of eye-witness evidence and that, after 6 years from the day of the crime. The verdict has disillusioned the whole nation. Jessical Lal was a ramp model working as a barmaid at a socialite party at the Tamarind Court, a restaurant located near to the historic monument Qutub Minar in New Delhi, India. At about 0200 hours on April 29, 1999, when the party was almost over, Manu Sharma with his friends allegedly entered the restaurant and demanded liquor from Jessica. When she told Manu that no more drinks would be served, he lost his temper and fired at Jessica. The bullet struck her temple and she died on the spot. Manu fled from the restaurant with his friends and during an intense hunt for Manu over a week, three of his friends were arrested, but Manu himself went underground. He eventually surrendered, and was arrested on May 6 in Chandigarh, 250 KM outside Delhi. Manu, the son of a leading politician, apparently made a statement to police admitting to having shot Jessica. However, this confession was retracted later. The case went up for trial in August 1999, with Manu charged with murder and his friends charged of harboring criminal suspects. When the trial began, some of the key witnesses, who had initially said they had seen the murder happen, eventually turned hostile. Shayan Munshi, a model and friend was also serving liquor to the guests, along with Jessica, and was a key eye-witness to the murder. However, he turned hostile and claimed that he was not even at the party on the night of the murder. Other witnesses too turned hostile overnight. It is widely speculated that he may be under threat and that the judicial system is unable to provide witnesses with adequate security. After extensive hearings with nearly a hundred witnesses, the court passed its order on Feb 21, 2006. Throughout his 179-page case verdict, Additional Sessions Judge Bhayana said that police sought to create and introduce false evidence against Sharma. Due to inadequacies in the investigation and shoddy presentation by the prosecution, Manu Sharma and a number of others were all acquitted by Judge S L Bhayana on Feb 21, 2006 Jessica Lal verdict only adds further proof to the anarchy that she herself being a top model, could not get justice, there is little hope for the common man. The rich and powerful very conveniently bought the judicial system, to first delay justice to 6 years giving them enough time to ensure all the witnesses turned hostile, and then to have a totally incredulous Not guilty verdict in their favor. Major loopholes According to information available, the chain of evidence produced by the prosecution was broken. All the circumstantial evidence of the prosecution fell through in court. This is mainly attributed to: 1) Unholy nexus of the accused with the police officers. The then police officer Surinder who failed to stop the restaurant from serving liquor without license became the investigating officer of the case. 2) Altering the scene of crime The blood stains had been wiped off. It was also alleged that Jessicas clothes had been changed before she was taken to the hospital. 3) All witnesses turned hostile. The most glaring loophole is the fact that the case dragged on for 6 long years. 6 years is too long a time for even the bravest of witnesses to stand by his/her statement, in the face of threats and pressure. 4) Police unable to trace the murder weapon and to add to the problems, the

man alleged to have fled with the gun, is still missing. 5) The forensic report may be tempered which showed that the two cartridges found at the spot were from different weapons. 6)The police claimed Sharma shot Jessica with a .22 bore pistol. Police unable to explain the 25 rounds which Manu Sharma had were made in India, while the bullets recovered from the spot were made in America. Chronology of events April 29/30, 1999: Ramp model Jessica Lal shot dead at the Tamarind Court, Manu Sharma, is the prime murder suspect. May 4, 1999: Co-accused, Amardeep Singh Gill alias Tony and Ashok Khanna arrested. May 6, 1999: Manu Sharma surrenders in Chandigarh. May 8, 1999: Amit Jhingan, friend of Sharma, arrested for allegedly getting bloodstains cleaned up from murder-scene. May 19, 1999: Vikas Yadav "surrenders", armed with an anticipatory bail from an Imphal (Manipur) court. Aug 3, 1999: Charge sheet filed against twelve persons. Nov 24, 2000: Charges framed by the court. May 2001: Prosecution suffers setback when key eyewitness Shayan Munshi, turns hostile and fails to identify Manu Sharma as the man who had fired the shot. Witness electrician ShivDas and the prosecution witness, Karan Rajput, also turns hostile. April 12, 2005: Delhi High Court grants regular bail to prime accused Manu Sharma. December 12, 2005: Prosecution concludes final arguments. February 4, 2006: Arguments closed. February 21, 2006: Court acquits all accused of all charges.