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Lapses in investigation

Staff Reporter

High Court had in 1999 castigated the police for the same

NEW DELHI: Way back in August 1999 the Delhi High Court had pulled up the Delhi police for having left several loose ends in the investigation of the sensational Jessica Lal murder case.

On a public interest litigation by a non-government organisation accusing the police of a lopsided investigation, a Division Bench comprising Justice Anil Dev Singh (since transferred) and Justice R.S. Sodhi had asked the investigating agency why it had not charged the person who had cleaned the blood-stained floor of the Tamarind Court restaurant after the murder.

"Was there no offence against Bina Ramani? Did the police find any bloodstains on the floor," the Bench had asked the police.

Castigating the police for the manner in which the case was investigated, the Bench had said the police had not been able to spot the servant who had cleaned the floor and question people managing the bar.

Special Public Prosecutor S.K. Saxena had said that by the time the police arrived at the restaurant, the floor had been washed by a servant of the bar at the instructions of a guest.

Responding to the Court's queries, the then Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Hauz Khas, O.P. Mishra, had assured the Bench that the police would file an additional charge sheet, but that did not happen.

About not charge-sheeting the servant who had washed the bloodstains from the floor, Mr. Mishra had told the Court that he was let off as it was found that he had done it `unintentionally' as part of his routine job.

Referring to the recorded statement of the servant, the Bench had told Mr. Mishra that his explanation did not match with the servant's statement. In a sense, his statement was not recorded properly, the Bench had stated.

"The statement could have given you an important lead about the person who had directed him to clean the blood stains," the Bench had observed.

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