Shayan opposes his trial for perjury

Updated on: 19 February,2011 07:21 AM IST |
Agencies |

Actor Shayan Munshi yesterday pleaded with the Delhi High Court against his trial for alleged perjury for turning hostile in model Jessica Lall murder case trial arguing the apex court had used part of his deposition in convicting Manu Sharma and others for the crime.

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Model Jessica Lall was shot dead at a Delhi restaurant, and Actor Shayan Munshi

As the proceedings for prosecution of 31 hostile witnesses resumed before a division bench of justices S Ravindra Bhat and G P Mittal, Munshi's counsel Aman Lekhi pleaded before the court to discharge his client.
Lekhi contended Shayan couldn't be termed hostile, as even the apex court had used part of his deposition in convicting Congress leader Venod Sharma's son Manu Sharma and others for the crime.

"The Supreme Court did not discard Munshi's statement completely but accepted some portion of his testimony," Lekhi argued while referring to the high court's December 2006 findings that it had issued the show cause notice to his client and other witnesses in public interest.

Munshi is facing perjury charge as it was he on whose statement the police had registered the FIR against Sharma and was the star witness of the prosecution.

But during his deposition in the court, he had turned hostile and introduced the "two-gun theory" (use of two guns in the murder) that led to Manu's acquittal by the trial court.