The Hindu : New Delhi News : Manu Sharma, seven others granted bail

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Apr 19, 2006

New Delhi

New Delhi

Manu Sharma, seven others granted bail

Staff Reporter

The ninth accused fails to appear before the court

LEGAL BATTLE: Sabrina, sister of Jessica Lal, at the High Court during hearing of the murder case in New Delhi on Tuesday . - PHOTO: SANDEEP SAXENA

NEW DELHI: Siddharth Vashishth alias Manu Sharma and seven others who were tried and acquitted in the Jessica Lal murder case by a trial court here for want of evidence this past February appeared before the Delhi High Court on Tuesday on bailable warrants issued against them by the Court last month.

They appeared before a Division Bench comprising Justice Manmohan Sarin and Justice J.M. Malik who recorded their appearance and ordered their release on bail. The Bench ordered Manu Sharma's release on furnishing a bail bond of Rs. 1 lakh with one surety of like amount.

The seven other accused -- former Member of Parliament D. P. Yadav's son Vikas Yadav; Manu's uncle Shyam Sundar Sharma; Amardeep Singh Gill and Alok Khanna, former executives of a soft drink multinational; cricketer Yuvraj Singh's father, Yograj Singh; Harvinder Chopra and Raja Chopra -- were directed to furnish bail bonds of Rs. 50,000 each with one surety each of like amount. As for the ninth accused in the case, Vikas Gill, who failed to appear before the Court, the Bench issued a non-bailable arrest warrant returnable on May 15, the next date of hearing.

Admitting the Delhi police's appeal against the acquittals, the High Court had issued the warrants against the accused persons. The Bench directed the city police to prepare the case file and submit it to the Court within four weeks.

All the accused are to appear on the next date as well, the Bench said.

The trial court on February 21 this year had acquitted all the nine accused in the case saying that "the Delhi police have failed to sustain their grounds in the trial on which they had built up their case''. The Mehrauli police had charge-sheeted Manu Sharma for murder, and Vikas Yadav, Alok Khanna, Amardeep Singh Gill for destroying evidence of the case and conspiracy, and the rest -- Shyam Sundar Sharma, Yograj Singh, Vikas Gill, Raja Chopra, Harvinder Chopra, Ravinder Kishan Sudan and Dhanraj -- for giving shelter to the accused and destroying evidence.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

New Delhi

News Update

Stories in this Section