NEW DELHI: Making a startling revelation in the Jessica Lal murder case in the Delhi High Court, the Delhi police on Monday said Vikas Gill, who was tried and acquitted by the trial court along with eight other accused in the case in February this year, had left the country without permission of the trial court during the trial and has been absconding since.

"Vikas Gill had left the country on October 9, 2004, without the permission of the trial court when the trial proceedings were pending. Though his presence in the court was recorded on February 21 this year when the trial court pronounced the judgment in the case, he was not physically present in the courtroom,'' the Standing Counsel for the Delhi police, Mukta Gupta, stated.

The Division Bench of the Delhi High Court hearing the appeal against the acquittal in the case reacted angrily to the revelation made by Ms. Gupta and asked why the authorities concerned were not alerted about the accused leaving the country without permission of the court.

"He has taken you for a ride,'' observed the Division Bench comprising Justice Manmohan Sarin and Justice J.M. Malik.

Ms. Gupta further submitted that after leaving the country, Gill through his advocate kept on filing applications for exemption from personal appearance in each hearing on ground of injury to his spine, and he was later granted relief.

Upon this, the Bench asked whether the prosecution had verified the medical details of the accused before he was granted relief by the trial court.

While granting bail to Gill on May 15, 1999, the trial court had directed him not to leave the country without its permission, Ms. Gupta said.

Ms. Gupta made all these submissions while moving an application seeking the High Court's permission to initiate proceedings for attaching the property of Gill and declaring him a proclaimed offender because he was not traceable for serving of an non-bailable arrest warrant (NBW) on him issued by the High Court on April 18.

The Bench asked Ms. Gupta to file a fresh application, including in it all the points that she had raised in her submission.

The appeal would now come up for hearing on May 31 .

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