NEW DELHI, 19 December 2006 — A Delhi court yesterday found the son of a top politician guilty in the murder of a former model.
Manu Sharma, who faces the death penalty when he is sentenced next Wednesday, shot and killed Jessica Lall after she refused to serve him a drink because it was closing time for the bar in New Delhi in 1999.
Justices R.S. Sodhi and P.K. Bhasin of the Delhi High Court said in their 64-page judgment that “we have no hesitation in reaching the conclusion that Siddharth Vasisht alias Manu Sharma has been guilty” of murdering Lall.
The judges ordered Sharma’s arrest since he had been released on bail and was not present in the court.
The judges also found co-accused Vikas Yadav, son of controversial Uttar Pradesh politician D.P. Yadav, and Amardeep Singh Gill alias Tony, an executive with a multinational firm, guilty of entering into conspiracy for destruction of evidence. Gill was taken into custody immediately. Yadav is already in judicial custody in connection with another murder case.
The trial made headlines after a lower court acquitted Sharma earlier this year, sparking a controversy over India’s legal system. Dozens of people witnessed the killing, but most later recanted their testimony as the case moved through the courts for six years.
His earlier acquittal drew sharp criticism from New Delhi’s citizens, who held street protests for several days, forcing authorities to reopen the investigation.
“I am very pleased there has been a conviction. I think the Indian judicial system is waking from its long slumber,” Indira Jaising, a Supreme Court lawyer and social activist, told the private NDTV network.
Lall was killed at the invitation-only Tamarind Court bar and restaurant owned by Bina Ramani, a dress designer. Ramani yesterday hailed the verdict. “It’s unbelievable. It’s great,” Ramani told reporters as she fought back tears.
Sharma, the son of a power politician in neighboring Haryana state, initially confessed but went on to deny the charge, saying he arrived after the killing of Lall, who was bartending as a favor to the owner.
Legal experts said police botched the investigation and the lower court acquittal came after a string of witnesses testifying for the prosecution changed their stories and turned “hostile” — reportedly after being paid off.
The case made headlines once again during the retrial. One of India’s top lawyers, Ram Jethmalani, drew widespread condemnation, including from his own family, for agreeing to defend Sharma.
In November, Jethmalani told the court that Lall was shot not because she refused to serve a drink, but because she had challenged the “manhood” of the killer. Lawyers and women’s rights activists reacted with outrage to Jethmalani’s statement.
Statements of key witnesses, Ramani, her husband George Mailhot and their daughter Malini established the fact that Manu had fired the fatal shot at Lall, Additional Solicitor General Gopal Subramanium said. While pronouncing the verdict, Delhi High Court said: “Bina Raman’s testimony was crucial.”
“Justice has been done,” Delhi Police chief said.
