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Current eventsIndiaJESSICA LALL MURDER: SC UPHOLDS MANU SHARMA'SLIFE SENTENCEThe Supreme Court upheld the conviction and lifeimprisonment awarded to Manu Sharma, son of seniorCongress leader and former Union minister Vinod Sharma, inthe 1999 Jessica Lall murder case.The court also expunged the adverse remarks of the trialcourt against the prosecution and also the observations of thehigh court against the trial court order acquitting all theaccused.“The non-recovery and non-explanation of the pistolallegedly used in the crime point towards the guilt of theaccused,” the bench said.Though the apex court criticised the media – both electronicand print – for its reports in connection with the case while it waspending before the high court, the Supreme Court judges said itdid not cause any prejudice to the accused.The high court had on December 18, 2006 set aside theacquittal of Sharma and others by the trial court on February 21,2006.“The prosecution has proved beyond reasonable doubt thepresence of Manu Sharma at the site of the offence,” a bench ofJustices P Sathasivam and Swatanter Kumar said, upholding theDelhi High Court verdict.The apex court also upheld the conviction as well assentence of four years jail term of Vikas Yadav, son ofcontroversial Uttar Pradesh politician, D P Yadav and AmarjeetSingh Gill, an MNC executive, for the destruction of evidence.“The Delhi High Court has given cogent and adequatereasons for reversal of acquittal given by the trial court,” thebench said.“The presence of accused is proved by ocular evidence ofprosecution witnesses,” the bench said while pronouncing theverdict.The bench said that the conduct of Manu Sharma after thecrime proved his guilt beyond reasonable doubt.The apex court said that the high court had rightly convictedand given four years jail sentences to Yadav and Gill fordestruction of evidence.Lall was murdered 11 years ago at a Delhi restaurant bySharma, “It has given us a lot of satisfaction,” said Sabrina Lall,Jessica’s sister, who has been leading the campaign for justicefor her sister’s death.Sabrina Lall, who has been pursuing the case since themurder on the intervening night of April 29-30, 1999, expressedher happiness over the verdict.“The final door has been closed on this episode. It has givena lot of relief and satisfaction. I am happy,” she said outside thecourt.The apex court dismissed the plea of Manu that he wasinnocent and implicated in the case.“The arguments on behalf of Manu Sharma that the entirestory involving him in the crime is planted and concocted iserroneous,” the court said.According to the Delhi police, Lall was shot dead by Manu atthe Tamarind Court Cafe restaurant owned by socialite BinaRamani at Qutub Colonnade in south Delhi where she hadhosted a party for her Canadian husband, George Mailhot.PT’s PrepTalk – May 2010 15