Jessica murder case: Warrant against Shyan Munshi cancelled

A court Monday cancelled the non-bailable warrants (NBW) issued against Bollywood actor Shayan Munshi after he appeared before it on a complaint seeking his prosecution for retracting from the testimony in the Jessica Lall murder trial.

Chief Metropolitan Magistrate(CMM) Pooran Chand cancelled the warrant on Munshi's appearance in the court and directed him to be careful in future. Munshi has been out on bail and now the court fixed April 28 for hearing arguments on framing of charges in the case.

The court had issued NBW against Munshi after he failed to appear before the court.

Two complaints have been filed before a Delhi court seeking prosecution of Munshi and the ballistic expert Prem Kumar Manocha for retracting from their testimony in the case.

The Delhi High Court March 22, 2013 ordered that a perjury case be registered against witnesses Munshi and Manocha for turning hostile during their deposition in the murder trial.

Meanwhile, the court also issued a notice for April 28 to Manocha to clarify the position of stay which was earlier granted by the Supreme Court in proceedings against him.

Munshi, who was the prime witness of prosecution in the case, and Manocha were accused of lying on oath during trial before the sessions court.

Lall was shot dead at Tamarind Court, a restaurant owned by socialite Bina Ramani, in south Delhi's Mehrauli area on the night of April 29-30, 1999.

According to police, she was shot dead by Manu Sharma, son of Haryana Congress leader Venod Sharma after she refused to serve him a drink at the party. Munshi had lodged the FIR in the case.

The trial court had acquitted Manu Sharma but the high court overturned the verdict, convicting him and sentencing him to life imprisonment.

The Supreme Court in April 2010 upheld the high court's order in the murder case and also endorsed its findings on the issue of perjury.

Munshi, the complainant in the case, had disowned the complaint during the trial.