Suresh Nanda

Suresh Nanda (born 1 June 1941) is an Indian businessman and former naval officer. Nanda was a Lieutenant Commander in the Indian Navy, before starting his business career in the 1970s. Nanda studied in St. Columba's School, Delhi, the same school where notable people, including Shah Rukh Khan, Rahul Gandhi, Sanjay Gandhi and officers of the Indian Armed Forces like Rana Chhina, Arun Khetarpal and DS Hooda, had studied.

Navy career Nanda graduated from the 16th course of the National Defence Academy and joined the Indian Navy.

Business career Nanda began his business career after leaving the Indian Navy and by the 1970s, he joined his father's company, Crown Corporation. He also founded and managed the company Dynatron Services, which focused on providing maintenance and after-sales service to for equipment sold in India. C-1 India came under scrutiny in 2008 due to its links with Nanda. Subsequently, he built Vivanta Surajkund which is managed by the Indian Hotels Company Limited. In 2015, he expanded made his hotel business international and built Taj Dubai in Dubai.

Arms dealing and conviction Nanda has since the 1980s repeatedly faced allegations of being one of the three largest arms dealers in India and he was convicted by a special court in 2021 in connection with defence deals and bribery. Sudhir Choudhrie and Vipin Khanna faced allegations of being among the other two largest arms dealers, and the families of all three individuals, including Nanda's family, were reported to have had a controlling presence in the Indian defence industry since the 1980s. According to journalist Sandeep Unnithan in 2008, his company, the Crown Corporation was "associated with major defence deals concluded with the Soviet Union and later Russia...The booming arms trade of the ’80s and ’90s gave the Nandas all the trappings of plutocracy: a sprawling mansion on Grosvenor Square in London’s exclusive Mayfair district, a mansion on Prithviraj Road in the heart of Lutyens' Delhi and Bentleys and BMWs in the garage."

Operation West End and Barak Missile scandal In 2001, Operation West End, a sting operation conducted by Tehelka, named Nanda as one of the recipients of kickbacks in the acquisition of Barak 1 missiles, manufactured by Israeli Aerospace Industries (IAI), by the Indian government. It was alleged in Operation West End, that Nanda paid a bribe to Samata Party President Jaya Jaitley. However, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), after their investigation of the Barak Missile scandal, filed a closure report due to lack of evidence. In Tehelka's conversation with retired Lieutenant Colonel V.K. Berry as part of the sting operation, he stated that Nanda was one of the three largest arms dealers.

Conviction In the First Information Report filed on 9 October 2005, the CBI mentioned large payments from the firm MTU Aero Engines, a supplier to IAI, into the bank accounts of Dynatron Services, a company managed by Suresh Nanda and his family members during the relevant period.

Personal life Nanda is married to Renu Nanda and has two children, Sanjeev and Sonali. His daughter, Sonali, married businessman Peter Punj in 2002.

In 1999, Nanda's 19-year-old son Sanjeev Nanda ran over and killed six people, including three police constables in a hit and run with his BMW in New Delhi. Tests showed that Sanjeev was drunk at the time of the accident. He was sentenced to five years in jail by a Delhi court; but the Delhi High Court allowed him to serve two years instead. The Delhi Police appeal the reduced sentence to the Supreme Court and sought a harsher 10-year imprisonment. However, the Supreme Court allowed Sanjeev Nanda to be released on account of his time served, required him to do two years of community service and pay a fine of 50 lakh rupees.