Jessica Lall murder case: Shayan Munshi, another witness to face perjury trial

The Delhi High Court on Wednesday ruled that Bollywood actor Shayan Munshi and another witness in the Jessica Lal murder case will be prosecuted on charges of perjury for turning hostile during their deposition in the case.

Munshi, who had lodged the FIR in the case, had pleaded to the court not to prosecute him saying, "He cannot be termed hostile as even the apex court had used part of his deposition in convicting the accused."

Munshi, the complainant in the case, had disowned the complaint during the trial, saying he did not know Hindi.

Model Jessica Lal was shot dead at Tamarind Court, a restaurant owned by socialite Bina Ramani, in south Delhi on April 29 1999.

She was shot dead by Manu Sharma, son of Haryana's Congress leader Vinod Sharma after she refused to serve a drink to him in the party.

On December 18, 2006, reversing the order of acquittal recorded by the trial court, the Delhi High Court convicted Sharma and awarded him a life sentence.

The High Court also declared two other accused in the case - Vikas Yadav, son of Uttar Pradesh politician D.P. Yadav and Amarjeet Singh Gill - guilty for destruction of evidence.