Jessica Lall case: Delhi police rift out in open

New Delhi: On December 18, 2006 was touted as a victory of People’s power because it was on that day that the Delhi High Court convicted Manu Sharma for killing Jessica Lall.

The court at the same time talked tough on the alleged lapses of the investigating officers. But eight months later, the very same officers have walked out with a clean chit.

Sources had told CNN-IBN that the SIT report raised questions over the conduct of senior officers like Vivek Gogia, Sudhir Yadav, Raman Lamba and Surrendra Sharma.

But the same SIT told the court on Friday that they had not found any criminal intention in their conduct. The Additional Solicitor General told the court that though there were lapses they could be taken care of through departmental enquiry. The second FIR should be closed.

The Delhi High Court accepted this, but the verdict exposed internal rifts within the Delhi police.

“K K Paul should have concentrated on how to get conviction in the appeal instead his SIT was hounding the Police officers and the witnesses,” says Former Joint Commissioner, Delhi Police, Amod Kanth.

Delhi Police however refused to react to these allegations.

“I am yet to see what Kanth has said,” says PRO, Delhi Police, Deependra Pathak.

Earlier the Delhi High Court had observed that it looked like the SIT had filled the second FIR to save the accused. And now with senior officers also attributing malafide intentions to the SIT, there's trouble ahead for the Delhi police on the eve of a hearing in the Supreme Court.

The HC judgement has brought out into the open the rift between two factions of Delhi police. One, which investigated the case in 1999, and the other that probed in 2006. But the question which is till unanswered is did either wing work to save Manu Sharma instead of ensuring justice?

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