Murder of Jessica Lal

Jessica Lal
Born	(1965-01-05)5 January 1965 India
Died	30 April 1999(1999-04-30) (aged 34) New Delhi
Cause of death	Gunshot wound to the head
Occupation	Model

Jessica Lal (5 January 1965 – 30 April 1999) was a model in New Delhi who was working as a celebrity barmaid at a crowded socialite party when she was shot dead at around 2:00 am on 30 April 1999. Dozens of witnesses pointed to Siddharth Vashisht, also known as Manu Sharma, the son of Venod Sharma, a wealthy and influential Member of Parliament from Haryana, as the murderer. Manu Sharma was later convicted for the murder and sentenced to life.

In the first trial, Manu Sharma was acquitted, leading to a huge uproar in the country, despite strong circumstantial evidence to convict the accused, questioning the acquittal, claiming it was not based on merit.^[1] Following intense media and public pressure, the prosecution appealed and the Delhi High Court conducted proceedings on a fast track with daily hearings conducted over 25 days. The trial court judgment was overturned, and Manu Sharma was found guilty of having murdered Lal. He was sentenced to life imprisonment on 20 December 2006. On 2 June 2020 Manu Sharma was released from Tihar Jail by Delhi LG on grounds of good behavior.