The Hindu
New Delhi, Dec 19: Setting aside the trial court judgment acquitting prime accused Siddharth Vashishtha alias Manu Sharma and eight others in the Jessica Lall murder case in February, the Delhi High Court on Monday held Sharma, Vikas Yadav and Amardeep Singh Gill guilty.
The quantum of sentence will be pronounced on Wednesday.
Jessica Lall and Manu Sharma
Manu Sharma is the son of former Haryana Minister Vinod Sharma and Vikas Yadav is the son of former Rajya Sabha member D P Yadav. Amardeep Singh Gill is a senior executive with soft drink major Coca Cola in Delhi.
Ramp model Jessica Lall was shot at by Manu Sharma at a private party organised by socialite Bina Ramani at an illegal bar at Qutub Colonnade in South Delhi in the intervening night of April 29/30, 1999.
Manu Sharma, who has been convicted in the Jessica Lal murder case. - FILE PHOTO: AFP
A Division Bench comprising Justice R.S. Sodhi and Justice P.K. Bhasin convicted the three relying mainly on the testimonies of socialite Bina Ramani, her husband George Mailhot and their daughter Malani Ramani and circumstantial evidence.
The Court held Manu Sharma guilty of killing Jessica Lal under Section 302 (murder) and Section 27 (non-production of licensed weapon demanded by a police or magistrate) of the Arms Act and Section 120 read with 201 (conspiracy and destruction of evidence) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). Vikas Yadav and Amardeep Singh Gill were held guilty under Sections 120-B read with Section 201 of the IPC.
Six acquitted
However, the court acquitted the six other accused — Shyam Sunder Sharma, uncle of Manu Sharma and son-in-law of the late President Shankar Dayal Sharma, Harvinder Chopra, Yograj Singh, father of the ace cricketer Yuvraj Singh, Raja Chopra, Vikas Gill and Alok Khanna for want of evidence.
Manu Sharma who was not present in the court at the time of the pronouncement of the judgment later surrendered at the office of the Economic Offences Wing of the city police in the Qutub Institutional Area and was thereafter taken to Tihar Central Jail as directed by the court.
Amardeep Singh Gill who was present in the court was immediately taken into custody and sent to jail. Vikas Yadav is already in jail here in connection with the Nitish Katara murder case.
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