New Delhi, Sept 16: Rajeev Gupta and two of his
employees, sentenced to one year imprisonment for destroying
evidence in the high profile BMW hit-and-run case, on Tuesday filed
their appeal in the Delhi High court challenging the trial
court's conviction order.
Gupta, a 63-year-old business man, along with his
employees -- Bhola Nath and Shyam Singh -- were sentenced to a
simple imprisonment of one year on September 5. However, the
court released them on bail till the time of filing of their
appeals.
Prime accused Sanjeev Nanda, son of arms dealer Suresh
Nanda, was sentenced to five years imprisonment for killing
six people, including three policemen, under his BMW on
January 10,1999.
Filing the appeal, Gupta alleged that the trial court
judge has convicted them without any cogent material as
evidence against them. The judge has passed the order solely
on the statement of police witnesses, he added.
Pleading before the court to suspend the sentence and
confirm the bail, already granted by the sessions court, Gupta
said that he is a heart patient and has undergone by-pass
surgery four times. He is a diabetic person and his blood
pressure remains unstable, Gupta also said.
According to the prosecution, on January 10,
1999 early morning after the accident Nanda, who was on
driver's seat and is presently lodged in Tihar jail, had
driven down his BMW car to 50, Golf Links, the house of his
friend Sidharth Gupta.
Sidharth, son of Rajiv Gupta, and Manik Kapoor were
allegedly travelling in the BMW car at the time of the
accident.
When at about 6.30 am, the police reached 50 Golf Links
following the oil trail from the accident vehicle, they found
that Rajiv Gupta had engaged his employees Bhola Nath and
Shyam Singh for washing off blood stains from the car.
Bureau Report
