New Delhi, July 29 (IANS) R.K. Anand, the high-profile lawyer who was convicted by the Supreme Court for contempt of court Wednesday, handled several significant cases in his legal career and was once known for his proximity to the Congress party.
Sixty-six-year-old Anand’s client list had powerful people, including former prime minister P.V. Narasimha Rao, controversial self-styled godman Chandraswami and former union minister H.K.L. Bhagat whom he defended in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots case.

“He had humble beginnings as a lawyer but his big break came when he represented the late Indira Gandhi on a property litigation filed by daughter-in-law Maneka Gandhi after Sanjay Gandhi’s death in 1980,” said a senior advocate.

In 2000, the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) nominated Anand to the Rajya Sabha. Four years later, he contested on a Congress ticket from South Delhi in the Lok Sabha polls but lost to Vijay Kumar Malhotra of the Bharatiya Janata Party. For his campaign he had even roped in Bollywood actor Nagma.

According to Congress leaders, Anand was also appointed as the party’s observer for the assembly polls in Himachal Pradesh in February 2003.

However, he fell out of favour with the party because he was reportedly close to former external affairs minister Natwar Singh, who was suspended and had to resign from the government in the wake of the Iraqi food-for-oil scam.

After making his mark as a successful criminal lawyer, Anand briefly made a foray into the media and launched a news agency, South Asia News Network International in 2004.

Anand, say his colleagues, is a great entertainer and often hosts grand parties in his lavish farmhouse in Chhatarpur. He is one of the few lawyers in the city who purchased a Mercedes Benz with a customised number plate.

The apex court Wednesday upheld a Delhi High Court ruling convicting Anand for contempt of court in trying to forge a nexus with defence counsel I.U. Khan to shield main culprit Sanjeev Nanda in the 1999 BMW hit-and-run case.

The high court had barred Anand from practising in any court in Delhi for four months. The court had also divested him of his designation as senior counsel and had imposed a fine of Rs.2,000.

While upholding the high court ruling, the Supreme Court bench of Justice B.N. Agrawal also issued notice to Anand seeking his explanation as to why his punishment should not be enhanced.