Delhi HC pulls up Govt over Manu's parole

New Delhi, Nov 24: The High Court on Wednesday, Nov 25 came down heavily on Sheila Dikshit Government raising questions over granting parole to Jessica Lal murderer Manu Sharma.

The high court asked the Delhi government if proper verification was made before granting parole to Manu, who killed model Jessica Lall in April 1999.

"Is this the way genuineness of the grounds are being verified? If this trend will continue, poor and weaker prisoners will never get parole. Your (government) lax attitude is responsible for increasing the pendency," the bench told state counsel Meera Bhatia.

Citing the case of Manu Sharma, Justice Kailash Gambhir said, "The report by the government depicts a dismal picture, clearly stating that the government is giving least priority to parole applications of convicts."

The court also recommended constitution of an independent body headed by a retired judge to deal with parole applications.

Sharma, who was released on parole from Tihar jail on Sep 22 on the ground of his mother's illness, was reportedly spotted in a nightclub in a hotel in the city, triggering a controversy. He then returned to the Tihar Jail on his own on Nov 10.

OneIndia News