A Delhi court has sentenced former BJP President Bangaru Laxman to four years rigorous imprisonment for taking one lakh rupees as bribe in a fictitious defence deal case.

Turning down his plea for leniency, Special CBI Judge Kanwal Jeet Arora also imposed a fine of one lakh rupees on Laxman. Later he was taken to Tihar Jail. His counsel said they will move the high court to challenge his

conviction. The sentence comes 11 years after Bangaru Laxman was caught taking bribe in a sting operation by Tehelka Portal in 2001.

The court said by accepting the bribe, Bangaru Laxman had agreed to compromise with the security and safety of the nation and the lives of lakhs of soldiers, who fight for the nation without fear for their lives.

He had also agreed to help a company M/s Westend International for getting a supply order of defence related equipments to Indian Army.

The judge in its 14-page order said the case was one of political corruption as Laxman had committed the crime when he was the chief of a political party which was the largest constituent of the then NDA government.

This is the first instance of a national party president getting convicted and sentenced to a jail term in a corruption case for accepting bribe in his office chamber at party headquarters.