Jessica Lal killer Manu Sharma wants parole for exams for Human Rights degree

New Delhi, June 11: Manu Sharma, serving a life sentence for killing model Jessica Lal, wants to leave jail so he can give exams for a post-graduate degree that he is pursuing in human rights.

The 36-year-old's lawyers have told the Delhi High Court that Mr Sharma's request has been refused by the Delhi government. The court has now asked the Delhi Police to share its opinion on Monday.

The court had granted parole to Mr Sharma in December to appear for exams at the time.

Mr Sharma was sentenced to life imprisonment in 2006 for shooting Ms Lal at a Delhi bar in 1999 after she allegedly refused to serve him drinks.

His father, Vinod Sharma, once a powerful politician in Haryana with the Congress, switched to the Haryana Janhit Congress in March ahead of the national election in May.

Mr Sharma had first been acquitted in 2006 by a Delhi court, after several witnesses turned hostile, provoking national outrage. His case was among those where suspects with rich and powerful families seemed able to escape conviction.

IANS