New Delhi: The Delhi Government, under
severe attack for granting parole to Jessica Lall murder case
convict Manu Sharma, on Thursday rejected the city police's claim
that he was granted the benefit despite their adverse remarks,
saying their report was "not clear".
"The report filed by Delhi Police was not clear and
police are equally responsible for granting parole to Sharma,"
a top Government official told agency.
Sharma was granted parole in September but he returned
to Tihar jail on Monday on his own 12 days before his parole
was to expire following mounting criticism that he violated
norms under which he was granted the benefit.
The official claimed "no mistake was committed by the
Delhi Government in granting parole to Sharma".
In an embarrassment to the Delhi government, the Delhi
police have said that the high-profile convict was granted
parole despite adverse report by police.
Police said they found none of the reasons mentioned
by Sharma in his parole application substantial.
The official criticised the police for not informing
the government about Sharma's presence at a night club in the
city on Saturday.
"They knew about his presence in Delhi on Saturday.
Police saw him in a night club. Then why they did not inform
us. Why did they tell us about it only on Monday. We could
have cancelled his parole," the official said.
32-year-old Sharma should not have been present in
Delhi as he was given parole under the condition that he will
visit Chandigarh to meet his "ailing" mother.
The official said a report was also sought from
Chandigarh police before granting parole to Sharma. However,
he refused to give details about the report submitted by
Chandigarh police.
Sharma, who was released from jail on September 22 on
the ground of his mother's illness, was spotted in a night
club in a hotel here on Saturday night. His mother was seen
addressing a press conference in Chandigarh last week.
Bureau Report
First Published: Thursday, November 12, 2009, 20:34