Raj Kumar Gupta on Manu Sharma controversy: ‘Forgiveness is individual choice and I am conflicted’

A still from No One Killed Jessica

Last December, Manu Sharma hit headlines again. Sharma, who was sentenced to life imprisonment in 2006 for Jessica Lal's murder and released from the prison in June 2020, was discovered to be the owner of the whiskey brand, Indri. It was found out that Sharma - born Siddharth Vashisht - now went by Siddharth Sharma and is associated with a £15 million investment in Scotland's distillery Argyll and Bute, through his family's company Piccadily Agro Industries. It led to wide debate over his rehabilitation and the role of privilege in it.

Mohd Zeeshan Ayyub played

When we recently met director Raj Kumar Gupta, we asked him about his stand on the matter. His directorial venture No One Killed Jessica (2011) - starring Vidya Balan and Rani Mukerji - chronicled Jessica's sister Sabrina Lal's seven-year fight for justice. "Sabrina Lal had fought tooth and nail to get her sister justice. But [in 2018], she had written a letter to the Tihar Jail authorities, saying she had forgiven Manu for his crime. She had said, ‘He has served his sentence and I've forgiven him. It will be like a catharsis to forgive and move on.' When I had first read about her stand, I was numb. Our loss or rage can't be more than Sabrina's. No one suffered as much as she did. [Yet], she didn't oppose his release. Everyone can have an individual take on it, but Sabrina reminds me of forgiveness," he noted.

Manu Sharma

In early 2006, Sharma was acquitted after his privilege as a politician's son had ensured that witnesses were silenced. It led to a nationwide uproar. In March 2006, the case was reopened in the Delhi High Court and he was convicted in December 2006. The recent turn of events has left Gupta with more questions than answers. "Forgiveness is individual choice, and I'm conflicted. The court [served] justice. After that, he is back to where he is. This makes me wonder whether a criminal, who has done his time, has a right to live normally again. I wonder, doesn't a criminal, having served his sentence, deserve to assimilate in the society or earn a living?"

Raj Kumar Gupta

The case that shook the nation

>> Jessica Lal was shot dead on April 30, 1999, after she refused to serve liquor to Manu Sharma, son of former Union Minister Venod Sharma.
>> In February 2006, Manu and eight others accused in the case were acquitted due to lack of evidence.
>> His acquittal led to widespread outrage. Numerous candle marches, and SMS campaigns were organised to protest against the decision.
>> As a result of the public outcry, the case was reopened in the Delhi High Court on a fast-track basis.
>> In December 2006, Manu was convicted for the murder and sentenced to life imprisonment.
>> In June 2020, he was released from the Tihar Jail for ‘good behaviour'.