Manu Sharma, a convicted murderer serving life imprisonment for the 1999 murder of model Jessica Lall, is out on parole for two months under a law that helped 42 hardened Tihar Jail convicts — most of them murderers — jump parole in the last four years. Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit, who gave Manu parole, defended the decision, saying it was done legally.

The son of Haryana Congress leader Venod Sharma had sought parole citing his mother Shakti Sharma’s ill-health. But the mother, general secretary of the Chandigarh Women’s Cricket Association, was seen hale and hearty as she addressed a live TV news conference in Chandigarh on Saturday. Manu himself was spotted at a pub in Delhi’s Samrat hotel the night before.

The Delhi chief minister actually used her discretionary power to double Manu’s original parole period of 30 days. He is now out till November 22. Delhi’s Lt-Governor Tejinder Khanna’s officer on special duty confirmed on Sunday that the recommendation for 30-day extension of parole came from Dikshit.

The CM, however, claims the “combined decision” was taken “by a committee comprising the L-G, home secretary, jail superintendent and state government officials.”
“Parole can be given under Article 161 under Lt General’s recommendation,” Tihar jail law officer Sunil Gupta said.

With police and jail authorities worried at the increasing misuse of provisions to give parole to convicts, Dikshit struggled to defend her decision. “It is the right of a prisoner to apply for parole,” she said. She recommended parole on the basis of reports from jail and police authorities certifying his good behaviour. She, however, refused to clarify what merits the committee saw in Manu’s request while blaming the media for hyping the issue.

The Congress party has come to Dikshit’s rescue. “The parole is a legal proceeding overseen by court. It is not right to connect the Congress or the Delhi CM to this matter. She didn’t recommend that he (Sharma) go to a night club,” Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi said.

“If parole conditions have been violated, sternest action is liable to be taken… the parole can be cancelled or denied on future request,” Singhvi said. Legal experts have slammed the government. They believe the parole should be cancelled and action should be taken against Manu for citing false reasons for parole.

(With inputs from Puneet Nicholas Yadav)