The Delhi High Court on Monday asked senior advocates R K Anand and I U Khan why they had not filed their reply in contempt proceeding against them for allegedly influencing controversial eye-witness Sunil Kulkarni in BMW hit and run case.
NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court on Monday asked senior advocates R K Anand and I U Khan why they had not filed their reply in contempt proceeding against them for allegedly influencing controversial eye-witness Sunil Kulkarni in BMW hit and run case.
"Non-filing of reply for four weeks is not understandable," a Bench comprising Justice Manmohan Sarin and Justice S K Mishra said while directing them to file the reply within a week.
Senior advocates, however, pointed out it was not their fault and delay was because of not getting all the CDs of the sting operation from NDTV as directed by the Court.
Not satisfied with their submission, the Bench said that if such was the case it should have been brought to its notice earlier as the notice was issued on August 7.
The Bench directed the TV channel to supply all six CDs within a day to all the accused.
Making an indirect referrence to the pending application before the Bench seeking recusal of Justice Sarin from hearing the matter on which order had been reserved, Senior Advocate P K Bhasin, appearing for Anand, said, "We were waiting for the outcome of the application."
"Whatever decision we take on the application at the later stage but in the meantime proceeding must go on," the Bench said.
The Court also rejected the submission of other accused seeking more time to file their reply.
"Be reasonable. Its a criminal contempt proceeding and it can't be delayed," the Bench said.
The Court had issued show cause notices to defence counsel R K Anand and public prosecutor I U Khan for their alleged collusion to influence a witness in the BMW hit-and-run case.
The court had also issued notices to Anand's associate advocate Bhagwan Sharma who had asked all of them to file their replies within four weeks.
On May 31, the court had taken suo motu cognizance following the telecast of sting operation by a TV channel showing Anand, in collusion with Khan, allegedly offering money to 'eyewitness' Kulkarni to depose in favour of Sanjeev Nanda, the prime accused, before the trial judge in the eight-year-old case.
Nanda, grandson of retired Naval Chief Admiral S M Nanda, is accused of mowing down six persons, including three policemen, with his BMW car on January 10, 1999.
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