Bangaru Laxman sentenced 4 years for a bribery case

Bangaru Laxman sentenced 4 years for a bribery case

A Delhi court has sentenced former BJP President Bangaru Laxman to four years rigorous imprisonment for taking one lakh rupees as bribe in a fictitious defence deal case. Turning down his plea for leniency, Special CBI Judge Kanwal Jeet Arora also imposed a fine of one lakh rupees on Laxman. Later he was taken to Tihar Jail. His counsel said they will move the high court to challenge his conviction. The sentencing comes 11 years after Bangaru Laxman was caught taking bribe in a sting operation by Portal Tehelka.

Holding corruption as worse than prostitution, the Judge said it endangers the whole society. He said one has to shun the attitude of 'sab chalta hai,' where nothing moves without bribe. The court said by accepting the bribe, Laxman had agreed to compromise with the security and safety of the nation and the lives of lakhs of soldiers, who without fearing for their lives, fight for the nation.

He had also agreed to help a company - M/s Westend International - coming to him for getting a supply order of defence related equipments to Indian Army. The court, thus convicted him under section 9 of the Prevention of Corruption Act. The judge in its 14-page order on sentence said the case was one of political corruption as Laxman had committed the crime when he was the chief of a political party which was the largest constituent of the then NDA government.

This is the first instance of a national party president getting convicted and sentenced to a jail term in a corruption case for accepting bribe in his office chamber in the party headquarters in 2001.

The BJP has termed the conviction of its former Party President Bangaru Laxman as a decision of the court on his personal conduct and not on the party. Talking to reporters in New Delhi, party spokesperson, Shahnawaz Hussain said that BJP is against corruption and never covers up any type of corruption.

While reacting on this issue, the Congress said that it is a matter of concern that a national president of a party was convicted in a fictitious graft case. Talking to reporters in New Delhi, the party spokesperson Rashid Alvi said that BJP should introspect about his organisation