SC to hear bail application of Manu with appeal

New Delhi, Feb 23 (UNI) The Supreme Court today directed that bail application of Manu Sharma, senteced to life imprisonment in Jessica Lal murder case, will be heard along with his appeal against the Delhi High Court judgment convicting and sentencing him.

Chamber judge Arijit Pasayat also directed that the application of another convict in the case Aman Deep Singh seeking clarification whether he should file a criminal appeal or Special Leave Petition in the case, shall also be considered by the appropriate bench.

As per the Supreme Court rules wheresentnce is above ten years only appeal can be filed while where sentence is less than ten years a Special Leave Petition(SLP) is to be filed and not an appeal.

All the nine accused were acquitted by the trial judge SL Bhayana who within a week of the judgment was elevated to Delhi High Court and whose file for confirmation as High Court judge has since been returned by the President APJ Abdul Kalam to the government for reconsideration in view of the severe strictures passed against him by the bench of Justice R S Sodhi and Justice P K Bhasin while reversing the acquittal order in respect of four accused including Sidharth Vashisht alias Manu Sharma and Vikas Yadav, son of former Rajya Sabha member D P Yadav.

Manu was given life imprisonment while three others were given four years each for destruction of evidence.

Manu in his bail petition has contended that high court was under constant media pressure and he was not given fair hearing in the case.

Acquittal of the nine accused persons who include Manu, son of former Haryana minister Vinod Sharma, had led to huge public outcry against the acquittal as all the accused belonged to influential families and charges police botched up the whole investigation to save the culprits.

Jessica Lal was shot dead in 1999 in South Delhi for refusing to serve liquor to the accused at night after the bar had been closed.

UNI