New Delhi: Disapproving the grant of
parole to Jessica Lall murder convict Manu Sharma, Congress
leader Sachin Pilot has said that he might not have
recommended parole to the lifer had he been the chief minister
of Delhi.
He said more diligence should have been followed
before giving parole to Sharma.
"I personally believed that perhaps more diligence
should have been made before issuing these orders. The fact
that he has already gone back (to jail) does not make a
difference now," Pilot said while participating in a programme
on a news channel.
Asked whether it was a mistake for the Delhi
government to have recommended parole for Sharma, Pilot said,
"Well I am not Delhi Chief Minister. From whatever I know of
the case, if I was the chief minister I would probably not
have given the parole".
Sharma was granted parole after Chief Minister Sheila
Dikshit recommended for it. Sharma, who had applied for the
parole on the ground of attending his ailing mother in
Chandigarh, was allegedly seen at a few bars in the capital.
There were allegations that Sharma violated the parole
conditions. Dikshit has justified her decision, saying that it
was within the "legal purview."
Sharma is serving life sentence at Tihar jail after
losing a protracted legal battle in Delhi High Court which
held him guilty of murdering model Jessica on April 29, 1999
at the Tamarind Court Bar owned by socialite Bina Ramani.
Bureau Report
First Published: Saturday, November 14, 2009, 11:36