BMW hit-and-run: SC acquits 3 co-accused

CNN-IBN | 01-Aug 14:36 PM

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Wednesday acquitted three co-accused in the infamous 1999 BMW hit-and-run case involving former Naval chief Admiral SM Nanda's grandson Sanjeev Nanda, saying there were discrepancies in the evidence put forward against them.

The three had been sentenced to varying jail terms for allegedly tampering with evidence in the infamous case.

A bench of justices Deepak Verma and KS Radhakrishnan set aside the trial court and the Delhi High Court concurring verdicts convicting businessman Rajeev Gupta and his two employees Bhola Nath and Shyam Singh.

Rajeev Gupta was sentenced to six months in jail while his employees were awarded three-month imprisonment.

The apex court has already reserved its verdict on a plea against the Delhi High Court order, which had reduced Sanjeev Nanda's sentence from five years to two years.

The apex court, meanwhile, also pulled up the Delhi police for not properly investigating the tampering of evidence. Pointing out various drawbacks in the probe, the bench said the evidence in the case does not conclusively establish that they tampered with the evidence.

"No credible evidence was recorded by the prosecution to show who washed the (BMW) car (immediately after the accident to remove blood stains)," the bench said.

The court also questioned as to why did Delhi police not lift fingerprints from the car to establish who had tried to destroy the evidence.

(With additional information from PTI)

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