Kalam receives viewers' petition in Jessica Lal murder case

New Delhi, Mar 6 (UNI) President A P J Abdul Kalam today promised to take ''necessary action'' in the Jessica Lal murder case after accepting a private news channel's viewers' petition.

The President also accepted a CD containing all the messages sent in by NDTV viewers along with the petition, according to the channel.

NDTV had received over two lakh SMSs in support of a re-trial in the Jessica Lal murder case.

The Delhi Police, facing public outrage, today constituted a 'special team' to probe the case and registered an FIR at the Mehrauli police station here as a first step towards 'retrial'.

The FIR pertaining to criminal conspiracy, tampering and destruction of evidence, fabrication of records and common intention was made against unidentified persons, Police Commissioner K K Paul said.

''A special team has been constituted under the Special Commissioner (Intelligence) U K Katna to look into the case.'' Officials of the team are being posted today itself so that no delay takes place in getting to the bottom of the truth, said the Commissioner.

Asserting that the functioning of the 'team' would be closely monitored, he said soon, an appeal would also be filed in the case in consultation with experts.

''We will be going to the honourable High Court in a day or two in this connection.'' On February 21, a local court had acquitted all the nine accused in the murder case for want of evidence.

Model Jessica Lal was shot dead in the posh Tamarind Court restaurant, owned by socialite Bina Ramani, seven years ago allegedly by Manu Sharma, son of Haryana minister Vinod Sharma, when she refused to serve him drinks.

Manu and the other accused, including Vikas Yadav, son of Uttar Pradesh politician D P Yadav, were acquitted by Sessions Judge S L Bhayana.

The judgement led to a public outcry with demands voiced for a re-investigation of the case and for filing an appeal against the judgement.

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