SC grants bail to Amardeep Gill in Jessica case

New Delhi, Apr 2 (UNI) The Supreme Court today granted bail to Amardeep Singh Gill alias Tony Gill who was sentenced to four years imprisonment for destruction of evidence in the Jessica Lall murder case.

A Bench comprising Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan and Justices B P Singh and R V Raveendran granted bail to Gill on a bail bond of Rs 25,000 and two sureties of the same amount.

The court, however, directed the accused not to leave the country without prior permission of the court and to surrender his passport to the authorities.

The court also adjourned till July 17 the hearing on the appeal of Siddharth Vashisht alias Manu Sharma, main accused in the case, who was sentenced to life imprisonment by the Delhi High Court.

The apex court was earlier told by the counsel for Gill that his client has been sentenced to four years jail term and was not involved in the murder of the former model who was allegedly shot dead by Manu, son of former Haryana minister Venod Sharma.

Vikas Yadav, son of former Rajya Sabha member D P Yadav is also facing jail term of four years in the case.

The trial judge S L Bhayana who was later elevated to High Court had acquitted all the nine accused in the case which had led a huge public outcry.

Jessica Lall was shot dead in January 1999 after she refused to serve liquor to the convicts at a South Delhi restaurant owned by socialite Bina Ramani whose testimony led to the conviction of the accused.

Senior counsel Ram Jethmalani appeared for the petitioners. Manu Sharma did not press his bail application today. Vikas Yadav, main accused in the Nitish Katara murder case is in jail since 2001.

UNI