New Delhi: Overriding the suggestion of
the state Home Secretary for 15-day parole to Jessica Lall
murder convict Manu Sharma, Delhi Chief Minister Sheila
Dikshit had extended it to one month. Sharma allegedly
violated his parole norms during the period last year.
Son of Haryana Congress leader Vinode Sharma, Siddarth
Vashisth alias Manu Sharma was given one month parole on
September 18, 2009 within 22 days of submitting his
application, the file notings received under the RTI Act show.
Manu Sharma had approached the Delhi government on
August 27, 2009 for a three-month parole citing three major
reasons- to take part in the last rites of his grandmother who
had died in 2008, his mother`s ailment and to attend neglected
business interest.
Delhi Police in its report dated September 10, 2009 said:
"his (Manu) personal attention is not required to look after
his mother.... As on date, the company is still running its
business without any hindrance. Grounds taken by the convict
are not appealing enough to grant him parole."
The notings made available under the Right to
Information Act to S C Agrawal have revealed that Delhi Home
Secretary G L Meena had forwarded the application within a day
of receiving the Delhi Police report.
He placed the Delhi Police report on record but cited
positive recommendations of Tihar Jail officials and
Chandigarh Police to "consider his case for grant of parole
for 15 days".
Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit on the very next day,
September 11, 2009 wrote on the file, "It would be right to
cut down his request for three months to one month." The file
was received by Lt Governor on the same day.
Based on these recommendations, the Lt Governor ordered
a one month parole on September 18, 2009.
Manu again approached Delhi government with a request to
extend his parole by another month on October 7, 2009 which
was processed within 14 days.
On October 21, the extension of parole was granted by Lt
Governor "to attend his business and related activities".
The Delhi High Court had also come down heavily on the
government for granting with "utmost speed" parole to Sharma
and giving preferential treatment to convicts having high
connections.
Justice Kailash Gambhir had said that in normal cases
the government takes three to six months to decide the parole
application of a convict but in case of Manu Sharma it
disposed of his plea within 20 days.
Sharma is serving life sentence at Tihar jail for
killing model Jessica Lall by shooting her at point blank
range on the night of April 29, 1999 at the Tamarind Court Bar
owned by socialite Bina Ramani.
He returned to the Tihar jail on his own 12 days before
his parole was to expire following mounting criticism that he
violated norms under which he was granted the parole.
PTI
