Nanda's family satisfied with Delhi High Court judgment

The family of Sanjeev Nanda, whose sentence for mowing down six people by his BMW car was reduced from five years to two years by the Delhi High Court Monday, said they were satisfied by the judgement and would not appeal it.

Sanjeev's father Suresh Nanda said they accept the judgment and his son would be completing his jail term.

"We are happy... finally our courts have given the right decision and the rule is upheld. We are extremely happy with the decision. We are not going to challenge the High Court order. Sanjeev would now be completing his remaining two months of imprisonment," he told reporters outside the high court after the judgment.

"There are still two months remaining for the completion of his 24 months but a few months are offset for his good behaviour as Sanjeev has been educating the prisoners and legally advising them. It is for the court to decide if he will get a remission.”

Nanda, who was sentenced to five years imprisonment September 2008 by a city court, has been lodged in the capital Tihar jail for the past 22 months.

His lawyer, Ramesh Gupta said the high court had ruled Nanda's conviction by the trial court under Section 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) was wrong.

“The High Court has convicted Sanjeev under IPC section 304 A (causing death by rash and negligent driving) which attracts a maximum two years of imprisonment. The imprisonment under section 304 is for life or for 10 years."

Gupta said the however disastrous the accident might have been, but it was not intentional but rather out of negligence. "It is what we have argued in the court and we are satisfied with the judgment."

Last updated on Jul 20^th, 2009 at 16:35 pm IST--IANS