The Delhi High Court has ordered that the model-turned-actor, Shayan Munshi and ballistic expert, Sagar Manocha, witnesses in the Jessica Lal murder case, be tried for perjury under Section 340 of the Criminal Procedure Code. Munshi had backtracked in his evidence which helped the accused, Manu Sharma. The two witnesses could get seven years in prison if they are found guilty. The Court’s observation should be an example in future cases. There are multiple precedents. In 1999, Sanjeev Nandan hit and killed six people. The sole survivor turned hostile in court saying that a truck might have hit him. In the Best Bakery case, Zahira Sheikh, the key witness repeatedly changed her statements. She was jailed for 15 months on the charge of perjury.
The Delhi High Court has asked the Delhi Government to initiate a witness protection policy. Threats or inducements often make some witnesses turn tail. In 2003, in the Nitish Kumar case, the Delhi High Court had not only asked for such a policy to be adopted but also issued guidelines for it. In 2012, the Bombay High Court pushed for an effective witness protection programme following the Best Bakery Case. The Law ministry a\greed to take action but nothing happened. All this emphasizes one thing. Trials should be held in the shortest possible time. Otherwise witnesses may be prevailed upon to change their minds. The Jessica Lal case is one of the worst. The accused Manu Sharma had been acquitted a few years ago but later was put on trial again. Yet the hearing drags on. It can only give murderers the idea that the law is not stringent enough to mete out condign punishment in their cases.