Victim's widow fears Nanda may still get away

The widow of Delhi Police constable Peru Lal, who was among the six persons killed in the 1999 BMW hit-and-run case, welcomed the conviction of Sanjeev Nanda but expressed apprehensions that he may escape with a light punishment.

"If a rich man is held guilty, it is a good thing. But, I still believe he will escape with a lighter punishment," said Phula Devi.

Nanda, grandson of former Naval Chief S M Nanda, faces a maximum punishment of 10 years' imprisonment and the sentence in the case is scheduled to be announced Wednesday.

The conviction in the hit-and-run accident brought some consolation to the constable's widow but she felt that the outcome of the case was unlikely to affect her family's lot.

Her views were echoed by her son Pawan. "I am not at all happy. Nothing is going to change for us. The promises made to us were not fulfilled. No one will provide us education. We will remain the way, we are," he said.

While most relatives of Nanda refused to comment after the verdict, his father Suresh, an arms dealer, said he would look into the judgement before saying anything.

Nanda, who was convicted by the court for mowing down six persons in the nine-year-old BMW hit-and-run case, was seen studying the judgement soon after it was delivered. He also appeared unhappy over certain lines in the 87-page verdict.

Nanda's counsel Ramesh Gupta, reacted to the judgement by taking a potshot at the media and saying "Now, you (mediapersons) might be feeling elated as the acquittal of Nanda would have meant travesty of justice."

Defence Counsel Prem Kumar advised the media not to cross the "Lakshman Rekha" and said "Like any other convict, Nanda has the right to challenge the judgement, seek suspension of sentence and seek bail."