Police fails to produce case diary of Jessica murder

New Delhi, May 8 (UNI) Despite a clear-cut direction on the last date of hearing, the Delhi Police today failed to submit before the Delhi High Court, copies of the case diary in connection with the murder of ramp model Jessica Lall in 1999.

Counsel Mukta Gupta appearing for Delhi Police however, submitted the status report and other documents relating to the second FIR filedin Mehrauli Police station in a sealed cover.

A division bench headed by Acting Chief Justice Vijender Jain asked the police to submit the three-page case diary before July 5, the next date of hearing.

Ms Gupta said the police had filed status report on May 21, 1999 and additional status report on May 28, 1999 after receiving notice on the PIL of Bhrastachar Virodhi Sangathan filed on December 17,1999 seeking the High Court direction to the police for trial and investigation in the case.

She said the petition was disposed of when the chargesheet in the case was filed on October 5, 1999.

On April 19 this year, the court had asked the police to file the case diary, status report and progress relating to the second FIR before the registry of the High Court.

On February 24, the court had taken suo motu congnisance of the newspaper reports on the acquittal of all accused in the murder case, and issued notice to the Delhi Police Commissioner to file a reply stating the reasons of ''shoddy investigation''.

Despite the Police challenging the acquittal of all the accused before another bench, the court wanted to know about the lacunae in the investigation as stated by the Sessions Judge in his order.

It is presumed that the police has mentioned about the investigation relating to the second FIR, statement of Manu Sharma and other accused in the status report.

Additional Sessions Judge S L Bhayana, who has been elevated as High Court Judge, had acquitted all the accused in the case saying the prosecution had failed "miserably" to sustain the grounds on which the trial was built up.

The trial judge had also pulled up the police for not being able to recover the weapon of offence and for their failure to establish an unbreakable chain of circumstances leading to the murder of the young ramp model in the presence of hundreds of guests at socialite Bina Ramani's restaurant in South Delhi on the intervening night of April 29-30, 1999.

The other accused are former Parliamentarian D P Yadav's son Vikas Yadav, former employees of Coca-Cola Company Alok Khanna and Amardeep Singh Gill, Shyam Sunder Sharma, Amit Jhingan, Yograj Singh, Harvinder Chopra, Vikas Gill, Raja Chopra, Ravinder Krishan Sudan and Dhanraj.

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