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New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Monday ruled over a lower court verdict to convict Manu Sharma in the sensational Jessica Lall murder case.
The Bench comprising Justices R S Sodhi and P K Bhasin also found co-accused Vikas Yadav, son of Uttar Pradesh politician D P Yadav guilty. Vikas is also a co-accused in Nitish Katara murder case and is currently in jail.
Amardeep Singh Gill alias Tony, an executive with a multinational firm, was also found guilty.
The same Bench had sentenced Santosh Kumar Singh to death on October 30 in the sensational Priyadarshini Mattoo murder case.
Vikas and Gill were charged with entering into conspiracy and for destruction of evidence. However, the court acquitted five other co-accused.
A ninth accused, Vikas Gill, has been declared a proclaimed offender.
The verdict was given on the basis of socialite Bina Ramani's testimony. The prosecution cited 92 grounds for a review of the lower court verdict and the high court agreed to all of them.
Tony Gill, who was present in court, was taken into custody immediately.
The Bench issued a production warrant against Vikas Yadav who is already in judicial custody in the Katara murder case.
"Arrest Manu wherever he is," the Bench said directing all the three convicts to be present on Wednesday during arguments on sentence. The Delhi Police's Special Investigation Team is on its way to take Manu Sharma into custody immediately.
The quantum of punishment will be announced on Wednesday.
Manu Sharma has been convicted under Section 302 of the IPC, the Arms Act and for destruction of evidence. Under this the maximum punishment is death penalty or life imprisonment.
Vikas Yadav and Amardeep Gill have been convicted under Section 201 OF IPC. The maximum sentence that they can get under this section is up to seven years imprisonment.
Manu Sharma's defence cousel has said that it will appeal in Supreme Court now.
“I am extremely delighted. It’s a victory for Delhi Police. We have to complement the judicial system and the media,” says former joint commissioner of police , Amod Kant.
He added that police used the same evidence that they had used at the time of investigations in 1999.
Jessica, a ramp-model, had been killed on April 29, 1999 during a party at South Delhi’s Tamarind Court restaurant, in full view of hundreds of high-profile guests, including a top-ranking Delhi Police officer. Jessica was shot dead when she was tending the bar.
The first FIR in the case was filed by model-turned-actor Shayan Munshi, who was standing right next to her when the murder took place. In the following week, four men present in the party were charged with killing Jessica. The main accused were all men who wielded political influence.
The case had been reopened earlier this year after a massive public outcry following a lower court verdict acquitting all the nine accused in the case, including Manu Sharma. A Delhi court had on February 21, 2006 acquitted Manu Sharma and Vikas Yadav, sons of Congress politicians, along with seven other co-accused in the sensational murder case.
The High Court verdict came after a total of 25 hearings since the case was reopened in March. The Delhi Police had registered a case against unknown persons for tampering of evidence and criminal conspiracy in the wake of strong criticism for its shoddy investigation that helped the acquittal of the accused.
The Bench had earlier reserved its verdict for December 18 after the appeal proceedings were closed on November 29.
The case has seen several twists and turns, particularly after former Union law minister and noted criminal lawyer Ram Jethmalani decided to take up the defence of accused Manu Sharma.
Jethmalani had on November 8 shocked the nation when he claimed in the Delhi High Court that it was 'a tall Sikh gentleman' who fired at and killed Jessica on the fateful night seven years ago. Defending Manu, he had argued that he had enough evidence to prove it and would reveal his identity later.
Jethmalani had also moved a plea of transferring the case to another bench since on the grounds that there were media reports against Justices R S Sodhi. However, this was rejected by the High Court.
Attacking the media for “running a vilified campaign against his client Manu Sharma”, Jethmalani had gone on to say that media was acting in an ‘unjust’ way in portraying his client as guilty and that the whole case has become a trial by the media.
He has also defended his decision of taking up the defence of Manu Sharma, citing that any professional lawyer is free to choose his client.
For those who can't be arsed to read the whole thing - Manu Sharma, the son of a Congress politician, went to a party. When the bartender girl (Jessica Lall) refused to give him a drink (IIRC, because she didn't have it), the drunk and maddened (with the arrogance of political power) Manu shot her in front of hundreds of people.
He was tried, but the police were bribed and his father used political pressure and threats to make sure that not one of the hundreds of witnesses dared testify against him. He was acquitted.
The public outrage over this was so great that the case was taken to a higher court. With the police being forced to be more accountable than before, the bastard was convicted today. The maximum sentence is either death or life imprisonment. I hope they hang him. I can't find the words to curse the guy - it has been acknowledged that this is now no longer a court case, this is a battle between good and pure evil. The bastard sons of politicians in India feel they can do anything and get away. Just hang this one and strike terror into the entire useless lot.
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