Sanjeev Nanda gets 5-year jail term in hit-and-run case

JUSTICE DELIVERED: Sanjeev Nanda was found guilty in the case earlier this week.

      

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New Delhi: The Patiala House Court on Friday sentenced Sanjeev Nanda to five years of rigorous imprisonment in the nine-year-old BMW hit-and-run case.

"Sanjeev Nanda, I award you five years jail term and the time earlier spent by you inside the jail would be deducted," said Additional Sessions Judge Vinod Kumar.

Nanda was held guilty under section 304 (2) (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), for which the maximum punishment is 10 years.

The other accused in the case businessman Rajiv Gupta has been given a one-year jail sentence and imposed a fine of Rs. 10,000 and his two domestic helps Bhola Nath and Sham Singh have been given a six-month jail term each. Nath and Singh were also fined Rs 100 each.

Gupta, Singh and Nath, who were held guilty of destroying evidence under Section 201 (destruction of evidence) of the IPC, were granted bail on Rs 10,000 bond each.

The defence also decided to appeal against the conviction and sentencing within the next two months in the Delhi High Court.

"There was no request to suspend Sanjeev Nanda's punishment. He will act as per legal advice. An appeal will be filed in the upper court," Nanda's defence counsel Prem Kumar said.

"This is a harsh punishment. We had asked court to look into various aspects including his behavior in the past nine years. We think the verdict is harsh, but the judge has his reasons for it. After analysing the judgement we'll be able to decide how soon we can appeal in the High Court," Kumar added.

Nanda, grandson of an ex-Navy chief SM Nanda, was found guilty in the case earlier this week. He had mowed down six people, including three policemen, while driving his BMW car in a drunken state in the early hours of January 10, 1999 at Lodhi Colony in south Delhi.

Former Delhi Police commissioner Ved Marwah, however, said the court has been lenient towards Nanda, considering the nature of the crime.

"The court has been lenient. They should be grateful to the court because the crime they were charged with was very serious. They tried to cover up the crime without any humanity. I was asked to distribute the money given by the Nanda's to the victims families but when they realised I would not be investigating the case they lost interest," Marwah said.

Neealm Krishnamurthy, who lost her children in the Uphaar tragedy, said that the jugdement would be a good lesson for the rich and powerful.

"I think for the people who take law for granted it's a good judgement because they tend to manipulate law and always get away with it. It will set a good example," she said.

Public prosecutor Rajeev Mohan had sought the maximum punishment of 10 years for Nanda.