New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Wednesday pronounced prominent criminal lawyer R K Anand guilty in connection with the NDTV BMW exposé case. The court found him guilty of criminal contempt of court, upholding the Delhi High Court order, which he had challenged.
But prosecution lawyer I U Khan has been let off, although the Supreme Court added that his conduct was improper.
The Supreme Court said the NDTV's sting operation was in public interest and ruled that Anand was guilty of criminal contempt of court and influencing witnesses.
The court said that the sting operation was not trial by media even as it issued a notice asking why Anand's punishment shouldn't be increased.
Reacting to the judgement, eminent lawyar Ram Jethmalani told NDTV that he was glad that "R K Anand has been punished.
Background
On May 30, 2007 NDTV exposed the nexus between the two well-known lawyers, who tried to influence a key witness in the BMW hit-and-run case.
Defence lawyer R K Anand and public prosecutor I U Khan were caught on hidden camera trying to win over Sunil Kulkarni who on the night of 10th January 1999 saw Sanjeev Nanda drive his black BMW on Delhi's Lodhi Road.
Khan was immediately removed from the case and the Delhi Bar Council asked both lawyers for an explanation and started an inquiry against them.
The Delhi high court took suo motu cognizance of the expose.
NDTV was asked to submit original tapes of the recordings, but the lawyers protested that the tapes were tampered with.
The case was heard for over a year.
Eventually in August 2008, the High Court found both of the lawyers guilty.
They were barred them from Delhi courts for four months and stripped off their seniority.
Anand and Khan appealed against the High Court order in the Supreme Court.
The verdict was pronounced on Wednesday.