Killers Of Jessica Lal, Naina Sahni Won't Be Freed Early

The killers in three high-profile murder cases in Delhi, who are serving life terms in jail, will not walk free, a board reviewing their sentences has decided. Manu Sharma, convicted for the murder of Jessica Lal, Santosh Singh, the killer of law student Priyadarshini Mattoo and Sushil Sharma, who killed his wife Naina Sahni, will have to serve their sentences, said the board, which took a call on the early release of convicts in more than 100 cases.    

Sushil Sharma, a Youth Congress leader, had initially got death penalty for what came to be dubbed the "tandoor murder" -- a crime that had shocked the country. The police said he had killed his wife on suspicions of an extramarital affair. Her body, chopped up in pieces, was discovered burning in a tandoor.

But his death penalty was commuted to life imprisonment by the Supreme Court in October 2013.

The death sentence of Santosh Singh, convicted for the rape and murder of 25-year-old Priyadarshini Mattoo in 1996, was also commuted to life sentence by the Supreme Court eight years ago.

Santosh Singh, the son of a senior police officer, had initially been acquitted by the trial court.

The judge said he was forced to give him the benefit of the doubt in view of the poor case presented by the prosecution, despite knowing that he had committed the crime.

Manu Sharma, 41, was sentenced to life in jail for shooting model Jessica Lal at a party after she refused to serve him a drink on April 30, 1999. The son of a Congress politician, Manu Sharma's case came up for a review before the board ahead of time.  

Jessica Lal's sister Sabrina Lal has said she has forgiven Manu Sharma and would not object to his early release.

The Sentence Review Board or SRB, headed by Delhi home minister Satyendar Jain, recommended 22 convicts for release on completion of their sentences on basis of good conduct in prison. It also
rejected 86 cases.