Notice to Delhi Police in Jessica Lal murder case

New Delhi, Feb 24 (UNI) Taking suo motu congnisance of newspaper reports on the acquittal of all accused in the Jessica Lal Murder case, the Delhi High Court today issued notice to the Delhi Police Commissioner to file a reply stating reasons.

A division bench of Justice Vijender Jain and Justice Rekha Sharma asked Delhi Police Commissioner to file a reply to the newspaper reports that the police failed to submit concrete evidence before the trial court during the proceedings of the Jessica Lal murder case.

Adjourning the matter till April 19, the court asked the police to file the reply to the allegations.

On February 21, a Sessions Court in Delhi had acquitted all nine accused including Siddharth Vashist alias Manu Sharma, son of former Union minister Vinod Sharma and Vikas Yadav, the son of former Rajya Sabha Member D P Yadav as the prosecution failed to produce evidence against them.

Jessica was murdered in the intervening night of April 29 and 30, 1999 at a restaurant owned by noted socialite Bina Ramani at Qutub Colonade in South Delhi.

Additional Sessions Judge S L Bhayana acquitted Siddharth of charges of murder and Vikas Yadav, Tony Gill, Alok Khanna of charges of destruction of evidence.

Shyam Sunder Sharma was acquitted of charges of destruction of evidence and harbouring an accused. Four others were also acquitted on similar charges.

Siddharth Sharma, who surrendered on Monday after being out on bail since April 12 last year, was the main accused in the case.

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