Bangaru moves HC challenging trial court jail term

Former Bharatiya Janata Party president Bangaru Laxman has moved the Delhi high court challenging his conviction and the punishment awarded to him by a special CBI court in New Delhi for taking Rs 1 lakh as bribe in a fictitious defence deal case.

Eleven years after having been caught in a sting operation by a news portal, Laxman was convicted and sent to four years in jail on April 28 and imposed a fine of Rs 1 lakh.

After spending around ten days in Tihar jail, Laxman moved the high court seeking quashing of the trial court's conviction and sentence awarded to him for taking the bribe from fake arms dealers to recommend to the defence ministry to award them a contract to supply thermal binoculars to the army.

Laxman's cousel Atul Kumar said the petition is likely to be taken up by the high court on Friday.