NDTV's BMW expose: Anand tenders apology to Supreme Court

New Delhi: Senior advocate R K Anand has tendered an "unconditional apology" to the Supreme Court for trying to influence a key witness in the hit-and-run case involving his high profile client Sanjeev Nanda.  Anand's act was exposed in a sting telecast on NDTV in 2007. (Read: SC pronounces R K Anand guilty in BMW exposé case)

Anand was replying to a Supreme Court notice, he was asked why he shouldn't be given more punishment, including jail sentence, for the contempt. He has asked Supreme Court not to enhance his punishment under section 12 of Contempt of Court Act that warrants imprisonment.(Read: NDTV BMW exposé: The need for sting)

"The deponent (Anand) hereby tenders his sincere and unqualified unconditional apology for all acts imputed to him in the telecast and as observed in the SC judgment," read Anand's reply to an SC notice, asking the former Rajya Sabha MP on why he shouldn't be given more punishment, including jail sentence, for the contempt. He "beseeched" the court not to enhance his punishment under section 12 of Contempt of Court Act that warrants imprisonment.

Anand also apologised for moving a recusal application urging a Delhi High Court judge, Justice Manmohan Sarin (since retired), to withdraw from the hearing on the ground that he was biased. It was Justice Sarin's bench that convicted Anand in August 2008 and barred him from practicing before it and its subordinate courts.

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A fine of Rs 2,000 was imposed on him. Subsequently, high court's full court had divested Anand of his senior lawyer's designation. On July 31, 2009, the SC bench had upheld the HC judgment. Besides, it had also issued him a notice on enhancement of sentence.

Anand, in his reply, has invoked the Gita and said he has already been put to a lot of humiliation and grave loss of reputation. "The infamy brought upon a man enjoying popular esteem is worse than death," Anand said.

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The lawyer, who has represented high profile politicians like former PM PV Narasimha Rao, Sajjan Kumar and Jharkhand CM Shibu Soren, has claimed to have defended the judiciary in the hour of need. Anand stated he has not appeared on his own in the high court for over a year and needs to attend to his wife who is on the wheelchair for over 20 years. (With inputs from agencies)