Click to play videoNew Delhi: In what can be termed as a huge relief for the police officers who had investigated the Jessica Lall murder case in 1999, the Delhi High Court has on Friday, closed the proceedings against them for their alleged manipulation of investigation.
This ruling came after the Additional Solicitor General Gopal Subramanium assured the Bench that post the investigation, the Special Investigation Team found no criminal intent in the conduct of the policemen who were investigating the case in 1999.
"No positive findings of any criminality against the police officers was found in the SIT report," a bench of Justice R S Sodhi and Justice P K Bhasin was quoted by news agency PTI as saying in the order, while disposing of a suo motu petition against the policecmen.
The Court had taken suo motu cognizance against the policemen following the media reports that all accused, including Manu Sharma, son of former Union Minister Venod Sharma, were acquitted by a trial court due to lapses on the part of police officers.
On March 6, last year, the SIT had registered an FIR to find the alleged laxity committed by the police officers in the case.
The Bench has directed the police to file a closure report before the Magistrate concerned to quash the FIR and also asked the High Court Registry to return all the three reports submitted by the police before it in this connection.
However, the Government has agreed to the fact that there were "certain lapses" in the case for which a departmental inquiry can be conducted.
Ramp model Jessica Lall -- who was doubling up as a bartender for socialite Bina Ramani's restaurant, Tamarind Court -- was shot dead on the intervening night of April 29-30, 1999, after she allegedly refused to serve liquor to Manu Shamra.
(With inputs from PTI)
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