BMW judgment likely on September 2nd

The Patiala House court in Delhi has fixed September 2 for the pronouncement of judgment in BMW hit and run case. After hearing the final arguments of both the prosecution and the defence, Additional Sessions Judge Vinod Kumar said he would pronounce the judgment on September 2. Six persons were killed in the accident involving the BMW car on January 10, 1999, in Lodhi Colony area in Delhi.

It is alleged that Sanjeev Nanda was returning from a late night party in Gurgaon with friend Manik Kapoor. While returning home near a checkpoint on Lodhi Road the BMW car went out of control crashing through all the people at the police checkpoint, immediately killing two constables - Rajan Kumar (25), Ram Raj (38) two others - Abdul Nasir (30) and Gulab (32). Another policeman, Peru Lal (40) of the Delhi Home Guard, along with Mehendi Hassan, died later in hospital. The seventh victim, Manoj (32), survived, but is untraceable today.

It is also alleged that the car was then driven to Siddharth Gupta's house in Golf Links. Siddharth's father Rajiv Gupta, who heads the finance firm Motor General Finance, instructed watchman Bhola Nath and driver Shyam Singh Rana to clean the bumpers and bonnet of the car of the blood and vestiges of the victims. Subsequently the police charged these three with destroying evidence. A few days later, a witness Sunil Kulkarni, came forward to describe the scene. At the time of the crash, he was on his way to the railway station.