Jessica Lal murder case: Convict Manu Sharma freed from Tihar Jail

Manu Sharma, a convict in the Jessica Lal murder case, was on Tuesday (June 2) released from the Tihar Jail in Delhi after his life term was remitted.

Lieutenant Governor of Delhi Anil Baijal allowed Manu’s release, along with 18 other prisoners from the jail, on the recommendation of the Sentence Review Board on June 1.

Manu was convicted for the murder of model Jessica Lal after he had shot her at a party for refusing to serve him a drink past the bar closing time on April 30, 1999. He had used a .22 calibre pistol to shoot her and hid it later. Manu surrendered to the Delhi Police in Chandigarh on May 6.

Manu is the son of former Union Minister Venod Sharma, who resigned from the Congress in 1999 after he was accused of bribing a witness in the murder case. Venod rejoined the Congress in 2004 and became a member of the Haryana Legislative Assembly twice.

Following several years of fight, in 2018, Jessica Lal’s younger sister Sabrina Lal told the court that she forgave Manu and did not have any objection if he were freed.

“I truly believe he has been doing good work in jail…it’s a load off my chest and I feel at peace with myself. His conviction was closure for me,” Sabrina Lal had told NDTV. As per a report, Manu had been in open jail from two years on account of “good conduct.”

Manu aka Sidharth Vashistha was allowed to leave the prison for working with a non-profit organisation for the rehabilitation of prisoners between 8 am and 6 pm.