Jessica Lal (19651999) 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 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 influentialCongress-nominated Member of Parliament from Haryana, as the murderer. In the ensuing trial, Manu Sharma and a number of others were acquitted on 21 February 2006. 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 29 April 1999, Jessica Lal was one of several models working an unlicensed bar at a party in the Tamarind Court, which was within the Qutub Colonnade, a refurbished palace overlooking the Qutub Minar in Mehrauli. By midnight the bar had run out of liquor and it would in any event have ceased sales at 12.30 am. At 2 am Lal refused to serve Manu Sharma, who was with a group of three friends, despite him offering her 1000 Rupees. Sharma then produced a .22 pistol and fired it twice: the first bullet hit the ceiling and the second hit Lal in the head and killed her.[1][2][3] A mlee followed the shooting, during which Sharma and his friends Amardeep Singh Gill, Vikas Yadav, and Alok Khanna left the scene.[1] Thereafter, it was reported that contact could not be made with Sharma's family, including his mother, and that they were "absconding".[4] After eluding police for a few days, with the assistance of accomplices, Khanna and Gill were arrested on 4 May and Sharma on 6 May. The murder weapon was not recovered and was thought to have been passed on to a friend who had been visiting from the US and who may subsequently have returned there.[2][3]

The case by now involved several prominent people. Sharma himself was the son of Venod Sharma, who at the time of the shooting was a former minister of the national government and by the time of the subsequent trial was a minister in the Haryana state government. Yadav was the son of another state politician, D. P. Yadav. Bina Ramani, who had redeveloped the premises where the party took place, was a socialite and fashion designer who allegedly had contacts in high places and whose daughter knew Lal as a fellow-model. Singh managed the distribution of Coca-Cola in Chandigarh.

April 29-30 1999: Jessica shot at a party in Qutub Colonnade restaurant in south Delhi . April 30, 1999: Doctors at Apollo Hospital declare Jessica brought dead. May 2, 1999: Delhi Police recovers Tata Safari car belonging to Manu Sharma, son of Haryana Congress leader Venod Sharma, from Noida, Uttar Pradesh . May 6, 1999: Manu surrenders before a court in Chandigarh. Subsequently 10 other co-accused, including Vikas Yadav, son of UP politician D P Yadav, arrested. August 3, 1999: Chargesheet filed against accused for killing Jessica under various sections of IPC. January 31, 2000: Magistrate court commits the case to a Sessions court for trial. November 23, 2000: Sessions court frames charges for murder against nine persons and discharges one accused, Amit Jhingan, while declaring Ravinder Sudan alias Titu as proclaimed offender. May 2, 2001: Court starts recording of prosecution evidence. Deepak Bhojwani, an eye witness deposes before the trial court.

May 3, 2001: Complainant and eye witness Shyan Munshi turns hostile and fails to identify Manu in court. May 5, 2001: Another eye witness Shiv Das, an electrician at Qutub Colonnade, turns hostile. May 16, 2001: Third key witness Karan Rajput turns hostile. July 6, 2001: Malini Ramani, eyewitness, identifies Manu. October 12, 2001: Socialite Bina Ramani, owner of the restaurant and bar, identifies Manu. October 17, 2001: George Mailhot, Ramani's Canadian husband, deposes and identifies Manu. July 20, 2004: Surinder Sharma, controversial investigating officer in the case, deposes after returning from UN assignment in Kosovo. February 21, 2006: Trial court acquits all nine accused due to lack of evidence against them. March 13, 2006: Delhi Police file appeal in the high court. October 3, 2006: High Court begins hearing on appeal on a day-to-day basis. November 29, 2006: High Court reserves its verdict. December 18, 2006: High Court convicts Manu, Vikas Yadav and Amardeep Singh Gill alias Tony and acquits Aloke Khanna, Vikas Gill, Harvinder Singh Chopra, Raja Chopra, Shyam Sunder Sharma and Yograj Singh. December 20, 2006: High Court awards life imprisonment term to main convict Manu Sharma with a fine of Rs 50,000 and also sentences co-convicts Amardeep Singh Gill and Vikas Yadav to four years' prison term with Rs 3,000 fine each.

February 2, 2007: Manu Sharma appeals in the Supreme Court.

March 8, 2007: Supreme Court admits Manu Sharma's appeal.

November 27, 2007: Supreme Court rejects Manu Sharma's bail plea. May 12, 2008: Supreme Court again rejects Manu Sharma's bail plea. January 19, 2010: Supreme Court commences hearing on Manu Sharma's appeal. February 18, 2010: Supreme Court reserves verdict on the appeal of Manu Sharma. April 19, 2010: Supreme Court upholds conviction and life term of Manu.

The case became a cause celebre for the media, helping it grab eyeballs in a decade when private news channels mushroomed in the country. It even inspired a novel by diplomat Vikas Swaroop, the author of the book on which the Oscarwinning Slumdog Millionaire was based. The case was something of a pot-boiler where fashion, high society, crime, political influence and media activism came together. As Jessica Lalls family heaves a sigh of relief the media too can pat itself on the back. Or can it? The case also highlights the bias of the English-speaking media for what is described as PLUS or People Like Us. Had Jessica been some nameless woman in a village would the case and the interest of the media been sustained this long? Would the outcome have been the same?

Within a fortnight after Jessica Lall was shot over her refusal to serve drinks, an icecream parlour attendant was allegedly shot dead for not stocking a particular icecream brand. What happened to that case? The similarity to the Jessica case was uncanny except we dont care. Or do we? It may be said the media cannot focus on every case of crime, it is the job of the state after all. Yet can it be gainsaid that choices can be revealing? Does the English media play a plutocratic role in this democratic country?

 Jessica Lal case: Murder,

fabrication and media as a regulator

Indian Legal system favors the rich and is stacking the poor. We all know that the judgment of Jessica Lals murder case has come as a closure of something. Dozens of people witnessed the killing inspite of that all the 9 high profile accused walked off like free birds. With efforts of media and her family members, people have became aware about misuse of power by politicians, bureaucrats and public outrage has build up across the country over the acquittal of all the nine accused . Tarun is shocked and demoralized by the way our Indian judiciary is working and is feeling threat to his life as well as life of a common man as well. it is a sad to know Manu Sharma prime accused of Jessica Lals murder case was acquitted today. I guess, It happens only in India well if it does then, I have started feeling for my life and a fear for those who are like me as well.. Saakshi O. Juneja writes that now even Delhi police is ready to tell public about the officials who are involved in tampering of evidence. Finally on 27th Feb 2006, Delhi Police Commissioner Krishna Kant Paul made a public announcement of the decision taken by the Delhi Police to challenge the verdict in the Jessica Lal murder case in High Court. Mayank has tried to raise questions that Courts alone cant be blamed for injustice done to Jessica lal murder case and has shown pity for those who turned hostile. Neha is very disillusioned and thinks this is the fate of a high profile case but what is gonna happen in cases where there is no media , no public outcry.she says that problem is not with system but with our attitudes. was feeling very disillusioned with the entire system after the recent verdict in the Jessica Lal murder case. If someone can get away by committing a murder in front of hundreds of people then what do we talk about the credibilty of

 Trial By Media: A Legal Dilemma

Resolved With Reference To Jessica Lal

Media is regarded as one of the pillars of democracy. Media has wide ranging roles in the society. Media plays a vital role in moulding the opinion of the society and it is capable of changing the whole viewpoint through which people perceive various events. The media can be commended for starting a trend where the media plays an active role in bringing the accused to hook. Freedom of media is the freedom of people as they should be informed of public matters.[1] It is thus needless to emphasis that a free and a healthy press is indispensable to the functioning of democracy. In a democratic set up there has to be active participation of people in all affairs of their community and the state. It is their right to be kept informed about the current political social , economic and cultural life as well as the burning topics and important issues of the day in order to enable them to consider to form broad opinion in which they are being managed, tackled and administered by the government and their functionaries. To achieve this objective people need a clear and truthful account of events, so that they may form their own opinion and offer their own comments and viewpoints on such matters and issues and select their future course of action. The right to freedom of speech and expression in contained in article 19 of the constitution. However the freedom is not absolute as it is bound by the sub clause (2) of the same article. However the right it freedom and speech and expression does not embrace the freedom to commit contempt of court. [2] The media has again come in focus in its role in the trial of Jessica lal murder case. The concept of media trial is not a new concept. The role of media was debated in the Priyadarshini Mattoo case and likewise many other high profile cases. There have been numerous instances in which media has been accused of conducting the trial of the accused and passing the verdict even before the court passes its judgment. Trial is essentially a process to be carried out by the courts. The trial by media is definitely an undue interference in the process of justice delivery. Before delving into the issue of justifiability of media trial it would be pertinent to first try to define what actually the trial by media means. Trial is a word which is associated with the process of justice. It is the essential component on any judicial system that the accused should receive a fair trial.