New Delhi, Apr 23: Almost two decades after model Jessica Lall’s murder, her sister Sabrina Lall has “no objection’’ to the release of Siddhartha Vashishta, better known as Manu Sharma, from Tihar Jail where he is serving a lifeterm after being convicted for the brutal crime.
“I am told that in this period he has been doing good work for charity and helping inmates in jail which I feel is a reflection of reform,’’ said Lall. In a letter to the welfare officer, Central Jail No 2, last month, she wrote, “I would like to state I have no objection to his release, owing to the fact that he has spent 15 years in jail."
Confirming that she had sent such a letter, Lall told TOI, “He has served his sentences and I am done with it… In my own mind I have forgiven him." “It will be like a catharsis to forgive and move on. I also need to get on with my life," she said, adding, “I don’t want to hold on to any more anger or hurt. I feel that he has served his sentence. I don’t feel there is any need to hanker about the situation.”
Don’t want to hold on to anger, says Jessica’s sister
Her letter was “in response" to the jail officer’s letter to her regarding “compensation and release of Sidhartha Vahishta s/o Venod Sharma convicted in FIR no 287/1999 under section 302 IPC".
Asserting that she didn’t want to hold on to any more anger or hurt, Lall, who lives in Gurgaon, declined ‘financial assistance from the victim welfare fund’ and wrote to the jail saying, “I do not require it and request you to give the same to others, who are more in need”.
Sharma has been in jail for a cumulative period of 15 years, the last six months in an open prison. He might seek an early release from prison citing “remission" worth five years, for “excellent work, discipline and conduct".
Delhi government rules permit a murder convict undergoing a life sentence to approach a review board to seek ‘premature release’. But such application can be made only after undergoing actual imprisonment for a minimum of 14 years without including remission or 20 years including remission depending on the case. The review board, however, has to consider the circumstances in which the crime was committed and possibility of reclaiming the convict as a useful member of society.
The Delhi high court had in December 2006 reversed a trial court acquittal of February 2006 and sentenced Sharma, whose father is a former Union minister, to life term for the brutal killing in 1999 that had attracted nationwide attention. The Supreme Court had two months later in February 2011 upheld the HC verdict.
Jessica had been bartending on April 29, 1999 at a Delhi restaurant, Tamarind Court, for a private party hosted by its owner, designer Bina Ramani. Sharma was held guilty of shooting her when she refused him a drink.
Prison authorities send a convict to open prison for “good behaviour, work and conduct”. Sharma was initially sent to a “semi-open jail” in August 2015 after completion of 12 and a half years in closed prisons as mandated by the rules.
Last October, he was admitted to an open jail allegedly after reviewing his conduct and work, which included running an NGO that has helped in “education of 700 children of jail inmates" and “post-release rehabilitation of inmates".
Sharma’s work in jail includes ‘Computerization of the jail factory accounts and implementation of the management information system (MIS) done by him’, ‘expanding’ and implementing ISO certification for Tihar Jail’s bakery and factory and taking the turnover of the factory from Rs 1.35 crore in 2006 to Rs 32 crore in 2013, and garden work in open prison.
Over the years, jail superintendents gave him “special remission on 11 occasions". Deputy inspector general (DG) Prisons granted remission five times for “exceptional work and conduct’.
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