New Delhi:
Sanjeev Nanda will leave Tihar Jail almost 3 years earlier than expected. The Delhi high court on Monday ruled that the hotelier did not deliberately run over 7 people in his black BMW on a January night in 1999.
Last year, a lower court found Nanda guilty of culpable homicide and sentenced him to 5 years in jail. The high court has reduced that sentence to 2 years most of which has already been served. However, the court has observed firmly that the case seems riddled with attempts by the Nandas and their lawyers to buy witnesses. The judge has praised NDTV for helping to prove that in an expose that aired last year.
Sanjeev Nanda was not in court to hear that in approximately 2 months he will be a free man. His parents were quick to express their thanks for his newer, shorter sentence.
"Sanjeev may have to serve two months more in the jail so we will not move the Supreme court," said Suresh Nanda, Sanjeev's father.
Last September, a lower court ruled that Nanda was guilty of culpable homicide. But the high court says the prosecution has failed to prove that he intentionally ran over 7 men, 6 of whom died. So now, he's been found guilty of causing death by accident which has a lesser charge of 2 years.
Where the high court does agree with the lower court is that: "Every possible effort was made to destroy evidence, win over witnesses and to influence the prosecution and police."
Most of that was caught on camera by an NDTV expose last year, where the lawyer for the Nandas, R K Anand, was seen offering the main witness in the case money to change his testimony.
In court, Sunil Kulkarni originally testified that he saw Nanda emerging from the driver's seat. He later said he could not be sure of that. His reversal didn't affect the lower court but as for Nanda, the judge made his feelings clear by rejecting claims that Nanda has shown exemplary behavior by paying close to rupees 65 lakhs in compensation to the families of those who died.
The judge said: "If he was really so compassionate towards the victims, why did he take to his heels after causing the accident."
The Delhi police says it will now appeal in the Supreme Court against Monday's verdict.