The Hindu : Front Page : Police looking at ways to carry Jessica case forward

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Feb 26, 2006

Front Page

Front Page

Police looking at ways to carry Jessica case forward

Staff Reporter

High Court order will be complied with, says Police Commissioner

NEW DELHI: Stating that he had received a copy of the trial court judgment acquitting all nine accused in the sensational Jessica Lal murder case, Delhi Police Commissioner K.K. Paul on Saturday said the police were looking at ways to carry the case forward.

As for the Delhi High Court directive to the police on Friday to submit all details of the case within four weeks, Dr. Paul just said though he had not received a copy of the High Court order, it would be complied with.

It is learnt that the process of gathering documents pertaining to developments in the case has already begun.

The papers to be submitted to the High Court would include the much talked-about request made by the police for a forensic examination of bullet empties recovered from the spot; and an inquiry report by Dr. Paul in his capacity as the then Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime Branch) stating that evidence in the case had been tampered with and there had been a conspiracy between the accused and certain officials that needed to be probed into. In his report filed at that time, Dr. Paul had also suggested registration of a case of destruction of evidence to unearth the truth.

Years after the report, the police still do not have any answer as to who exactly tampered with the most important piece of evidence -- the two empties recovered from the place where Jessica was gunned down.

"The Court can ask the police why they did not pursue the matter and who were responsible for the tampering," said Supreme Court lawyer Kamini Jaiswal on Saturday.

While it is being said that Dr. Paul's report was not followed up fearing adverse repercussions on the prosecution's case, the fact that it was overlooked suggests that at that time the police tried to delay the inevitable.

"The tampering resulted in the two-weapon theory in the case, which dealt a fatal blow to the prosecution's stance. After this fact was revealed, all the supervisory officers knew that the case had no future," said a senior police officer.

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