New Delhi, Nov 27 : Virtually passing the buck to the Delhi government, city police chief Y. S. Dadwal Friday said that the police had not recommended parole for Manu Sharma who is serving a life sentence for the 1999 murder of model Jessica Lal at Tihar Jail.

"We did not recommended parole for Manu Sharma. When we get requests for parole, we give our recommendations to the Delhi government. There is a clear Supreme Court direction on this," the Delhi Police Commissioner told reporters here

"The Delhi government has its own policy for giving parole," Dadwal said.

He was clarifying the police's stand following the controversy that erupted when Manu Sharma, who was out on parole, was found partying at a bar in the capital earlier this month.

Sharma was granted parole Sep 22 after he pleaded that his mother was seriously ill and that he also needed to attend to family business matters. His parole was extended Oct 22 for 30 more days on Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit's recommendation to Lieutenant Governor Tejendra Khanna.

As the news of Sharma's partying broke, the Sheila Dikshit-led Congress government came under severe criticism for recommending his release on parole. To make matters worse, Sharma's mother Shakti Rani was seen holding a press conference in Chandigarh looking completely fit.

Following a hue and cry, Sharma returned to Tihar Jail Nov 10, before his parole ended.

The Delhi High Court had pulled up the city government last week for adopting a discriminatory attitude on the question of granting parole - allowing some convicts parole easily and quickly while the applications of others were kept pending for months. (IANS)