May 11: Overlooking the suggestion of Delhi home secretary for a 15-day parole to Jessica Lal murder case convict Manu Sharma, chief minister Sheila Dikshit had extended it to one month. Manu Sharma had allegedly violated his parole norms during the period last year.
Son of Haryana Congress leader Vinod Sharma, Siddarth Vashisth alias Manu Sharma was given a month parole on September 18, 2009 within 22 days of submitting his application, the file notings received under the RTI Act stated.
The Delhi government officials on Tuesday said that Manu Sharma had approached the government on August 27, 2009 for a three-month parole citing three major reasons — to take part in the last rites of his grandmother who had died in 2008, his mother’s ailment and to attend business interest which was going in loss.
However, the Delhi police in its report dated September 10, 2009 had said: “Manu Sharma’s personal attention is not required to look after his mother. As on date, the company is still running its business without any hindrance. Grounds taken by the convict are not appealing enough to grant him parole.”
The notings made available under the Right to Information Act to activist S.C. Agrawal have revealed that Delhi home secretary G.L. Meena had forwarded the application within a day of receiving the Delhi police report.
He placed the police report on record but cited positive recommendations of Tihar Jail officials and Chandigarh police to “consider his case for grant of parole for 15 days”.
Ms Dikshit on the next day, September 11, 2009 wrote on the file: “It would be right to cut down his request for three months to one month.” The file was received by the lieutenant-governor Tejendra Khanna the same day. Based on these recommendations, the lieutenant-governor ordered a one month parole on September 18, 2009.
Manu again approached the government with a request to extend his parole by a month on October 7, 2009 which was processed within 14 days.