New Delhi, July 29 - R.K. Anand, the high-profile lawyer who was convicted by the Supreme Court for contempt of court Wednesday, handled several significant cases in his legal career and was once known for his proximity to the Congress party.

Sixty-six-year-old Anand's client list had powerful people, including former prime minister P.V. Narasimha Rao, controversial self-styled godman Chandraswami and former union minister H.K.L. Bhagat whom he defended in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots case.

'He had humble beginnings as a lawyer but his big break came when he represented the late Indira Gandhi on a property litigation filed by daughter-in-law Maneka Gandhi after Sanjay Gandhi's death in 1980,' said a senior advocate.

In 2000, the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) nominated Anand to the Rajya Sabha. Four years later, he contested on a Congress ticket from South Delhi in the Lok Sabha polls but lost to Vijay Kumar Malhotra of the Bharatiya Janata Party. For his campaign he had even roped in Bollywood actor Nagma.

According to Congress leaders, Anand was also appointed as the party's observer for the assembly polls in Himachal Pradesh in February 2003.

However, he fell out of favour with the party because he was reportedly close to former external affairs minister Natwar Singh, who was suspended and had to resign from the government in the wake of the Iraqi food-for-oil scam.