Sentence Review Board recommends premature release of Jessica Lal murder convict Manu Sharma

The Delhi Sentence Review Board (SRB) has recommended a premature release of Jessica Lal murder convict Manu Sharma, who is serving life imprisonment, sources said on Tuesday. A final decision on the recommendation will, however, be taken by Lt Governor Anil Baijal. The sources said the recommendation was made at a meeting of the SRB chaired by Delhi Home Minister Satyendar Jain on Monday.

"Over 1,000 people have been released on parole so far. Thirty-seven cases came up based on merit (in the SRB's meeting). Twenty-two cases were fit for release based on the prescribed criteria," a Delhi government official said.

This is the sixth time that Sharma's plea for premature release was placed before the the Sentence Review Board, which comes under the Delhi government.

"The file will now be sent to the lieutenant governor for final approval," the sources added.

"Manu Sharma fulfils all parameters as required for premature release," his lawyer Amit Sahni said.

Sharma, son of former Union minister Venod Sharma, was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment by the Delhi High Court in December 2006 for killing Jessica Lal in 1999. A trial court had acquitted him, but the high court reversed the order and the Supreme Court later upheld his life sentence in April 2010. Lal was shot dead by Sharma after she had refused to serve him liquor at the Tamarind Court restaurant owned by socialite Bina Ramani at Qutub Colonnade in south Delhi's Mehrauli area on the night of April 30, 1999.