Delhi govt gets three months to formulate witness protection policy

New Delhi: The Delhi High Court today granted three more months time to the city government to evolve a witness protection policy to ensure that witnesses are not harassed or intimidated by powerful accused in criminal cases.A division bench of Acting Chief Justice B D Ahmed and Justice Vibhu Bakhru, which had earlier granted four weeks time to the government on July 8, allowed the submission of standing counsel Pawan Sharma that "formalities are yet to be completed for a final policy and three months time is required".The bench fixed November 20 as the next date of hearing the matter.On May 22, the high court had observed that witnesses are "bulwarks" in a criminal case and had directed the city government to frame within ten weeks the witness protection policy.[caption id="attachment_1021315" align="alignleft" width="380"] File image. AFP[/caption]The bench had given the direction in its 103-page verdict directing prosecution of Bollywood actor Shyan Munshi and a ballistic expert for turning hostile in the sensational Jessica Lall murder case. Lall was shot dead on the intervening night of 29-30April, 1999 by Manu Sharma, son of Haryana Congress leader Venod Sharma, after she refused to serve a drink to him at a late night party at socialite Bina Ramani's restaurant Tamarind Court in south Delhi. Munshi, who was serving liquor alongside Lall on thefateful night, had lodged the FIR and later allegedly retracted from it during the trial, saying he did not know Hindi.On Munshi's role, the high court had said that despite admitting that he had witnessed the entire incident, he later declined to identify the real offender which "prima facie" indicates that he was attempting to "help the accused".PTI