BMW case: 'Stung' prosecutor I U Khan axed

The Delhi Police on Thursday decided to drop I U Khan from the list of prosecutors in the BMW hit-and-run case with immediate effect.

This decision came following a recommendation by Delhi Police Commissioner K K Paul after a sting operation by television channel NDTV showed main witness Sunil Kulkarni striking a deal with the advocates for refusing to identify main accused Sunil Nanda.

Taking a strong view of the expose, Paul told rediff.com, "Drastic action is being taken against Khan for his alleged role in the payoff scam and his attempt to tie up with the defence counsel while representing the State to prosecute the accused."

Asked if Sunil Kulkarni will be dropped as a witness, as his motives were suspect in the light of the television expose, the Delhi police chief said this was a legal matter and was being examined by the experts. 

PTI adds:

According to official sources, senior public prosecutor Rajeev Mohan is likely to replace Khan in handling the eight-year-old case in which Sanjiv Nanda, grandson of a former navy chief, is accused of running over and killing six persons while driving a BMW car in 1999.

Police officials are also examining the veracity of the tape allegedly Nanda's counsel R K Anand talking to a prosecution witness Sunil Kulkarni about the case.

As per the expose, Anand allegedly tried to influence Kulkarni by offered him Rs two crore.

It also claimed to have shown public prosecutor Khan asking Kulkarni if he had met 'bade sahib.' Kulkarni told the channel that the reference was to Anand.

The television channel said it had been approached by Kulkarni after watching its expose on the BMW case. He claimed he was under great pressure from the defence and the prosecution to change his original statement and he offered to prove this on hidden camera.

But just before the testimony began, he withdrew his initial consent, the television channel said in a release.

Meanwhile, in a turn of events, Khan has approached the Delhi court seeking discharge as an advocate in the case.

"I want to withdraw from the case. I am feeling suffocated," Khan told Additional Sessions Judge Vinod Kumar and also alleged that he had been made a 'fall guy' as he turned down the persistent request of an interview by the television channel, which telecast the sting operation.

The court, which was busy in hearing another case, asked him to come after ten minutes and address it on the issue.