New Delhi, September 2:

A Delhi court today held Sanjeev Nanda, son of arms dealer Suresh Nanda and grandson of former navy chief SM Nanda, guilty of mowing down six people under his BMW on January

10, 1999, while acquitting his friend Manik Kapoor who was sitting next to him.

The quantum of sentencing in what is a landmark judgment will be declared tomorrow.

Sanjeev Nanda, who was drunk at the time of the accident was held guilty of culpable homicide not amounting to murder by Additional Sessions Judge Vinod Kumar. The maximum imprisonment for the crime under Section 304 (2) of the Indian Penal Code is 10 years.

This is one of the first instances that a court has convicted the accused in a hit-and-run case under Section 304 (2). In most cases, the conviction is under Section 304 (1) — causing death by rash and negligent act — in which the maximum sentence is two years.

The other accused in the case, businessman Rajiv Gupta — whose son Siddharth was also in the car — and his two domestic helps were held guilty of destroying evidence. The quantum of sentencing will be decided tomorrow after hearing arguments from both sides.

According to the prosecution, Nanda ran over six people, including three policemen, that fateful night.