Delhi HC pulls up police for tardy probe in Jessica murder

New Delhi, July 18 (IANS) The Delhi High Court Wednesday pulled up the Special Investigation Team (SIT) of Delhi Police for filing a tardy report on the Jessica Lall murder case without following the basic procedure of law.

A division bench of Justices R.S. Sodhi and H.R. Malhotra posed a question to the Delhi Police counsel: "It is the first case in the criminal justice system where a separate FIR (first information report) has been filed in a case while an FIR was still existing. Does it not lead to safe inference that you (police) were trying to assist the accused?"

Commenting on the second report, which was filed before the court Wednesday, the bench said: "We have not judged your investigation report. The report is nothing but a rotten piece of paper. It is absolutely nothing. We do not know the purpose behind it?"

While doubting the sincerity of police while referring to the FIR filed against its own officials for allegedly not conducting the investigation properly, the bench said, "We are very very aware what is happening. You think we do not know what's going on but we are well aware."

The FIR was lodged after the court took suo motu cognisance of media reports about police failing to conduct the probe properly.

The court said there was no need for registering another FIR when the probe could have been conducted under the ambit of the original FIR.

Justice Sodhi asked the SIT to thoroughly probe the matter to bring the culprits to the book.

Police in their report said that they have already retrieved the documents relating to the cases and probing the matter.

Sidharth Vashisht alias Manu Sharma, Vikash Yadav and Amarjit Singh Gill have been convicted by the high court for their involvement in the killing of ramp model Jessica at a south Delhi restaurant owned by Bina Ramani in 1999.

The trial court had acquitted the accused due to lack of evidence.