Vidya Balan Unhappy with Jessica Lal’s Killer Manu Sharma’s Release: ‘Don’t think any amount in jail is enough’

Actress Vidya Balan played Jessica’s sister Sabrina Lal in Raj Kumar Gupta’s film No One Killed Jessica, based on the 1999 Jessica Lal case. 

In 1999, Manu Sharma, son of former Union minister Venod Sharma, had shot Jessica dead for refusing to serve him liquor. Manu was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment by the Delhi High Court in December 2006 for the Jessica Lal murder case.

However, earlier this month, Delhi Lt Governor Anil Baijal approved the premature release of Manu Sharma, under the recommendation by the Delhi Sentence Review Board (SRB). And, Manu was released on June 01 after serving 16 years, 11 months and 24 days in jail.

Vidya Balan has reacted to the release of Manu Sharma and she seems unhappy with the decision as she told The Quint: “Personally speaking, I don’t think any amount of time for him or for people like him in jail is enough. So that will always play in my mind. Yes, may be he has turned a new leaf. I hope he has. I hope he is a reformed person.”

She continued, “So that’s all one can hope you know, after spending so much time in jail. That is the point of being in prison, right? That you reform. So let us hope that has happened.”

Jessica’s sister Sabrina had also reacted to the jail release of Manu and told PTI:  “I really do not have anything to say. I am not feeling anything. I feel numb. The only thing I hope and pray to God is that he never thinks of repeating that mistake again.”