Thaindian News

New Delhi, Nov 16 (IANS) The Delhi High Court Wednesday granted five days’ parole to Manu Sharma, serving life term for the 1999 killing of ramp model Jessica Lall, to attend his brother’s marriage. But he has been barred from visiting nightclubs and discotheques.

Justice V.K. Shali said: “He is allowed to attend his brother’s marriage which will be beginning from Nov 21 and end on Nov 25.”

However, Shali said Sharma cannot visit any discotheque or nightclub and nor can he cross Ambala, Chandigarh and Karnal, where the marriage ceremonies and other related functions are slated to be held.

The judge’s observation on banning him from visiting nightclubs came as Sharma was found to have visited one in 2009.

At that time, he was granted parole for a month, which was later extended by another 30 days. During this period, Sharma was found at a Delhi nightclub, which led to a huge controversy as he got involved in a brawl with former Delhi police commissioner Y.S. Dadwal’s son.

Parole is the temporary release of a convict from prison before the end of his sentence, subject to certain conditions.

The court also asked him to furnish a personal bond and surety amount of Rs.50,000 each.

Lall was shot dead by Sharma at the Tamarind Court restaurant owned by socialite Bina Ramani in south Delhi’s Mehrauli area. He was awarded life imprisonment by the high court in December 2006. The life term was upheld by the Supreme Court last year.

Wednesday’s court order has left the families of those killed in crimes and accidents disappointed.

“The whole idea of people who are undergoing sentence for murder needing to attend a wedding is beyond my comprehension,” said Neelam Katara, mother of Nitish Katara who was murdered in Uttar Pradesh in 2002 by Vikas Yadav, a politician’s son.

“A very strong message should be sent in all such cases that if you take someone’s life, you and your family won’t be able to enjoy these simple pleasures of life,” said Katara.

Neelam Katara said that the decision to bar Sharma from visiting nightclubs and discotheques during parole was strange as the main issue was to prohibit people who commit murder from attending weddings and functions as per their wish.

Similar views were echoed by Neelam Krishnamurthy, whose two children were among the 59 people killed in a fire in south Delhi’s Uphaar cinema in 1997.

“It is very disappointing… our system is very accused-friendly. They only think about rehabilitating the accused but no thought is given to the victim. They never realise what the victim is going through,” said Krishnamurthy.

The fire June 13, during the screening of Hindi film “Border”, claimed 59 lives and injured over 100 people in the subsequent stampede in the cinema hall in Green Park locality.

Chaman Lal Mattoo, whose daughter Priyadarshini Mattoo was raped and murdered in 1996 by her senior in a law course and son of a former police officer, said: “Such spoilt brats are given concessions which are not regularly and ordinarily accepted by the courts.”

Priyadarshini was killed in south Delhi’s Vasant Kunj area by Santosh Kumar Singh, who has been sentenced to a life term.