Nanda drops Hanuman idol outside courtroom

He’s Sankat Mochan (one who wards off trouble), and letting him slip out of your hand in a crisis is neither a good idea nor a good omen. It’s a lesson Sanjeev Nanda will not forget in a hurry.

He’s Sankat Mochan (one who wards off trouble), and letting him slip out of your hand in a crisis is neither a good idea nor a good omen. It’s a lesson Sanjeev Nanda will not forget in a hurry. Minutes before he stepped into the court at 12pm, Nanda’s grandmother Gayatri handed him a tiny bronze idol of . “Apne daye hath ki mutthi mein yeh band rakho aur Hanumanji ko yaad karo beta. Koi khatra nahi hoga,” (hold it tightly in your right fist and pray to Lord Hanuman. No harm will befall you) she told him, hugging him with tears in her eyes.

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But Nanda let the idol drop while accepting it. And though he picked it up coolly and strode inside composed, Hanumanji apparently was not amused, judging by the day’s outcome.

Nanda was wearing a grey striped shirt and dark trousers, and sported a vermilion mark on his forehead. He was seen clenching the idol when the judge started pronouncing the verdict.

Till the verdict was pronounced, Nanda did not display any nervousness.

After being convicted, Nanda, who is also a Wharton Business School graduate, read the judgment page-by-page along with a lawyer. Two police constables stood beside him, as he was in custody. His grandmother walked up to him inside the courtroom to console him. She was heard saying repeatedly that Nanda “has not done any wrong”.