New Delhi, Aug 3 (IANS): The Supreme Court Friday upheld the Delhi High Court order reducing the prison sentence of Sanjeev Nanda, the main accused in the January 1999 BMW hit-and-run case in the national capital, from five years to two years. Six people were killed in the Jan 10, 1999, accident.

An apex court bench of Justice Deepak Verma and Justice K.S. Radhakrishnan said that Sanjeev Nanda will undergo two years of community service, failing which, he will have to undergo a simple imprisonment of one year.

The court asked the ministry of social justice and empowerment to decide within two months on the community service that Nanda will be asked to perform.

The court directed Nanda to deposit Rs.50 lakh with central government, which in turn will create a fund to pay the victims of the 1999 road accident.

The court, describing Nanda's action of speeding away from the spot of accident as "reprehensible", said that he was interested in his own safety than saving lives of the victims.

Sanjeev Nanda was convicted and sentenced to five years imprisonment by trial court under Section 304 Part II of Indian Penal Code (culpable homicide amounting to murder) instead of Part A of Section 304 of rash and negligent driving.