Ex-BJP prez Bangaru Laxman convicted in Tehelka sting

A CBI court today convicted former BJP president Bangaru Laxman in connection with accepting a bribe from Tehelka scribes in 2001 promising to intervene in the procurement of equipment for the defence forces.

The court is expected to announce the quantum of sentence in the case tomorrow. The CBI is expected to seek the 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.

Laxman’s lawyers have said they will appeal the court’s verdict to take him into judicial custody.

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.