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Manu Sharma Biography: Age, Career, Family and More

F4U Editorial Desk • Updated October 5, 2026 • 3 min read

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Quick Info

Date of birth1977

Age43 Years (as in 2020)

BirthplaceChandigarh, India

ProfessionBusinessman

NationalityIndian

Marital statusMarried

SpouseName Not Known (Model)

FamilyFather - Venod Sharma; Mother - Shakti Rani Sharma; Brother - Kartikeya Sharma; Sister - Prachi

Manu Sharma Biography

Manu Sharma (born Siddharth Vashisht) is an Indian businessman known for his high-profile conviction in the 1999 Jessica Lal murder case. Born in 1977 in +

Early life and background
Siddharth Vashisht, commonly known as Manu Sharma, was born in 1977 in Chandigarh, India. He grew up in a family with political and business connections; his father is Venod Sharma and his mother is Shakti Rani Sharma. Manu attended Mayo College in Ajmer for his schooling and later studied at the Indian Institute of Human Rights in New Delhi. He completed an undergraduate commerce degree in Chandigarh before joining the family business instead of pursuing a planned MBA.

Career
Manu Sharma was given responsibility for one of the family’s mills at Bhadson in Karnal and has been described in available records as involved in business activities. While incarcerated, he founded the Siddhartha Vashishta Charitable Trust, which has been run by his brother and mother. The trust has been reported to work on initiatives such as cancer awareness, children’s education, and prisoner rehabilitation, and by 2011 was said to have assisted over 130 children of prison inmates.

During his time in Tihar Jail, Manu took on marketing responsibilities for prison-run enterprises. Under his supervision, the carpentry and bakery units saw significant increases in turnover over a four-year period, with the carpentry unit and bakery reportedly growing from smaller bases to substantially higher revenue figures. He was involved in prison vocational work and earned parole several times over the years for family events and educational purposes.

Public profile
Manu Sharma first became widely known because of his role in the 1999 killing of Jessica Lal at a Mehrauli bar, an incident that attracted sustained public attention and legal scrutiny. Initially acquitted along with other accused due to witness complications and evidentiary issues, the case was reopened; concrete evidence recovered later led to his conviction. On 18 December 2006 he was sentenced to life imprisonment and sent to Tihar Jail.

His paroles and behavior while on release drew public criticism. In 2009 he received parole twice, reportedly for family medical reasons, which later became controversial when details emerged that led authorities to cancel parole and return him to custody. Subsequent paroles were granted for family weddings and to appear for his master’s examinations; conditions on those paroles limited his movement and access to nightlife.

Manu’s time in custody also included administrative and rehabilitative activity: beyond founding a charitable trust, he oversaw improvements in prison industries and contributed to programmes intended to rehabilitate inmates and support their families.

Personal life
Manu Sharma comes from a Brahmin family and follows Hinduism. His family includes his brother Kartikeya Sharma, a businessman, and a sister named Prachi. He married in a low-profile ceremony on April 22, 2015, to a woman described as a model from Mumbai; the couple had known one another for about ten years according to available accounts. He has reported childhood asthma and is known to enjoy cricket.

Legal developments and release
After years in custody and multiple paroles, Manu Sharma was acquitted in June 2020 following recommendations from the Sentence Review Board. The board’s recommendation cited his conduct in prison, his business initiatives within the jail, and the charitable work of his trust as factors supporting release. At the time of the review board’s decision he was on parole, a measure that had also been used more broadly during the Covid-19 pandemic to reduce overcrowding in prisons.

Latest updates
Following his acquittal in 2020, records indicate that Manu had already been granted several short-term paroles in prior years for family and educational reasons. His 2015 marriage occurred while legal restrictions related to his conviction delayed earlier plans. The Siddhartha Vashishta Charitable Trust and the reported improvements in prison industry revenues remain the principal non-legal elements of his public profile.

Editorial Review and Sources

This F4U profile is written from publicly available career and profile information, then reviewed for clarity before publication. If you spot an outdated detail about Manu Sharma, send the page URL and a reliable correction source to f4udotin@gmail.com.

Reference context: StarsUnfolded

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Recent Work

Siddhartha Vashishta Charitable Trust (founder)

Founded during imprisonment to support cancer awareness, children’s education and prisoner rehabilitation; managed by his family.

2011
Marketing head, Tihar jail industries

Led growth in carpentry and bakery units, increasing their revenues significantly over a four-year period.

2011
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Career Highlights

  1. Given management responsibility in family business (mill at Bhadson, Karnal)
  2. Founder of Siddhartha Vashishta Charitable Trust
  3. Marketing head for prison industries in Tihar Jail, overseeing notable revenue growth
  4. Convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment in Jessica Lal murder case (18 December 2006); later acquitted by Sentence Review Board recommendations in June 2020
Reviewed by F4U Editorial Desk

F4U profile pages are prepared from public career information, checked for readability, and updated when reliable correction sources are shared with the editorial team.

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Frequently Asked Questions

When was Manu Sharma born?

Manu Sharma was born on 1977.

What is Manu Sharma known for?

Manu Sharma is known for businessman.

What is Manu Sharma’s marital status?

Manu Sharma's marital status is listed as Married.

Who is Manu Sharma married to?

Manu Sharma is publicly listed as married to Name Not Known (Model).