INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
The possibility of Jessica Lall killer Manu Sharma's early release from jail is on hold indefinitely, with the Delhi government putting off
the meeting of a board that was to review his sentence
Delhi Home Minister Satyender Jain has reportedly asked for a justification for a meeting of the sentence review board, which was to decide
on 90 convicts including Manu Sharma.TheIndianSubcontinent has learnt that while most convicts get the chance to be heard by the board after
around 20 years in jail, the case of Manu Sharma, the son of a Congress politician, is being pushed by Tihar Jail authorities in just 14
Most of the other convicts have spent more than 15 years in prison.Despite numerous calls, Tihar jail officials have not responded to the
question on why they chose to recommend Manu Sharma for an early release.The 41-year-old was sentenced to life in jail for shooting model
model Jessica Lall at a party (File)Jessica Lall's younger sister Sabrina Lall says she forgives Manu Sharma and would not object if he were
"His conviction was closure for me," she added.The 49-year-old conveyed her view in a handwritten letter to Tihar Jail, which had asked for
her feedback on Manu Sharma's release - something that jail officials claim they do in high profile cases where the prisoner has displayed
questions about the perceived alacrity of the prison authorities in the case.For the last three months, Manu Sharma has been in an open
jail; he is allowed to leave the prison for work at 8 am and return at 6pm
Each year, only five prisoners are rewarded this way for "good conduct".Manu Sharma, aka Sidharth Vashishta, works with an eponymous
non-profit for the rehabilitation of prisoners.Another high profile convict Sushil Sharma, a Congress politician in jail for the last 23
years for killing his wife Naina Sahni and trying to burn her body in an oven or tandoor - which gave the case the name "tandoor murder" -
has been denied early release because his crime was considered 'heinous'.
