HC defers Shayan Munshi hearing

New Delhi: The Delhi High Court has deferred Shayan Munshi's case till July 27. The decision came after the Bollywood actor asked the court for some more time on the matter.

Shayan Munshi is the main witness who turned hostile in the Jessica Lall murder case.

The court had earlier said action should be taken against Munshi and 28 other witnesses for lying under oath in a court of law.

Delhi Police also submitted a report demanding that the witnesses in the case should be tried for perjury and cheating because they also submitted false affidavits in the High Court.

Earlier, Munshi had told the court he didn't know what the FIR contained as he could not read Hindi.

Within hours after Jessica Lall – who was doubling up as a bartender at Bina Ramani's restaurant, Tamarind Court – was shot, it was Munshi who filed the FIR.

At that time, the actor clearly stated that he saw Manu fire two bullets, one in the air and the other at Jessica that hit her in the eye.

However, few months later, the struggling actor changed his version and said he did not understand Hindi and could not decipher the police statement he had signed on in a state of frenzy.

He also said that though it was Manu who fired at the ceiling, some other man – whom he could not identify – shot Jessica.

Under Section 340 of CrPC, hostile witnesses can be tried and prosecuted for perjury. Zahira Sheikh of the Best Bakery case was tried under the section.

Meanwhile, the Delhi Police has submitted a report in the High Court on the alleged nexus between the lawyers and court officers in the Jessica Lall murder case.

This after the High Court told Delhi Police that all the cases should be probed which show the possibility of a nexus.

Heading a division bench, Sodhi, who received an anonymous letter alleging such a nexus, also told the Delhi Police that if the investigation was not properly done, it could be handed over to another organisation “above you.”

“We see further investigations is necessary to bring out any possible wider network to destroy the criminal justice delivery system by other supporting organs. The state is directed to investigate and all the agencies will cooperate with it,” the Bench said.

Justice Sodhi had on April 23 received an anonymous letter claiming that there were three cases similar to Jessica Lall's case waiting for justice.