Why homeguard's story wasn't believed

NEW DELHI: Additional sessions judge S L Bhayana punched holes in the story that home guard Shravan Kumar broke the windshield of the Tata Safari, which was allegedly taken away later that night by Manu's two accomplices, Vikas Yadav and Amarjeet Singh Gill. This was despite the fact that Kumar's gallant effort was widely reported by the media at the time of the incident.
The judge instead relied on the daily diary of the Mehrauli police station which said that Kumar had left the police station at 2.20 am for his village, Dera, near Andheria Mor, while the investigating officer had claimed that the home guard had accompanied him to the spot of the crime.The Yadav-Gill duo had apparently come in the wee hours to take away the vehicle.
The inconsistency between the police records and the officer's version made the judge ignore even Shravan Kumar's claim that he had noted down the registration number of the Tata Safari on his palm.
...Interestingly, the number was accurate and made the cops link it to Manu Sharma who, according to them, came to Tamarind Court in this vehicle.
On bit actor Shayan Munshi, who had claimed to have witnessed the murder but later turned hostile, Judge Bhayana said,
"He has not supported the case fully as he was not serving liquor in Tamarind Court as mentioned by prosecution witness Deepak Bhojwani."
As for the statement of Malini Ramani, the daughter of socialite Bina Ramani who ran Tamarind Court, the court merely recorded it as saying: "There was a party being hosted by Bina Ramani. She was standing behind the food counter with friend Sanjay Nethani... Jessica Lal was also there.
The accused came into Tamarind Court and he was in his mid-20s and fair. Shayan Munshi came (out of the restaurant) and said Jessica had been shot and identified the guy who asked for a drink was indeed Manu Sharma."Malini's statement was obviously not enough to legally pin down Manu.