Bribery case: Bangaru Laxman gets four years in prison

In a massive blow for the BJP, A CBI court on Saturday  sentenced  former party president Bangaru Laxman to four years in prison and also imposed a fine of Rs 1 lakh  in connection with accepting a bribe from Tehelka scribes in 2001 promising to intervene in the procurement of equipment for the defence forces.

Bangaru has been found guilty under section 9 pf the Prevention of Corruption Act, which relates to “taking gratification, for exercise of personal influence with public servant.

The Delhi armed police has taken Bangaru Laxman into custody for serving the sentence. The CBI court said his offence was a very grave one in view of rampant corruption in India. The attitude of sab chalta hai has led to widespread corruption in India, which is why Laxman has been given such a strict punishment, the court said today. The court in its judgement said, “Time to shun sab chalta hai syndrome.”

In the judgement, the judge said Bangaru had accepted Rs one lakh bribe for the fictitious defence deal and had also agreed to take a balance amount of Rs four lakh in dollars.

The only option left for Bangaru is to file an appeal in the high court. But since the process is a long one, he has no option but to spend a few nights in Tihar Jail before he can expect any relief.

While Bangaru, 72, had asked for minimum punishment in the fake arms deal, the CBI has sought a  maximum penalty of five years imprisonment for Laxman. The former BJP president is the only person to be convicted in the case and was taken into judicial custody after the court pronounced its verdict. Bangaru had earlier sought leniency on health grounds, saying that he has undergone bypass surgery twice and is a first time offender.

Charges of corruption were framed against Laxman in May 2011 by a Delhi court after he failed to get relief from the Delhi High court or Supreme Court.

Laxman, who was then the BJP president in 2001 was caught on camera , by a Tehelka journalist who were posing as defence equipment dealer from  a fictional firm West End International. The journalists had claimed they were selling hand held thermal imagers to the Indian Army. Laxman resigned from his post in the party after the furore over the Tehelka report.

The CBI  in its charge sheet had alleged that the former BJP president had accepted Rs 1 lakh in cash from the journalists and he had been charged under section 9 of the Prevention of Corruption Act. He was charged with taking illegal gratification for exercising personal influence over a public servant.

The CBI had registered a case in December 2004 against Laxman and two of his staff .

Following the publication of the report by Tehelka, the BJP-led NDA government had appointed a Commission of Inquiry  which was later handed over to the CBI by the UPA government in 2004. Nine cases were registered based on the reports.

According to the charge sheet against Laxman, between December 2000 and January 2001, Tehelka representatives met with Laxman and his personal staff eight times and they sought his assistance in getting government orders from the Defence Ministry.

Tehelka‘s journalists offered Rs 5 lakh to Mr. Laxman and he took an initial payment of Rs 1 lakh in his office in January 2001 and sought that the remainder be given to him in dollars.

The CBI said that the former BJP president had agreed to speak with the Defence Secretary about the fictitious firm. Laxman during interrogation by the CBI said he had taken Rs 1 lakh for the party fund but investigating officials claimed he had said so in order to salvage his image.

The Tehelka story had also claimed the post of Defence Minister George Fernandes who resigned but was subsequently reinstated as Defence Minister.

With inputs from PTI