Sukhram’s conviction in 1996 telecom scam upheld

In a setback to former telecom minister Sukhram, the Delhi High Court on Wednesday upheld his conviction and three-year jail term in the 1996 telecom scam.

While dismissing Sukhram’s appeal against his conviction, a bench of justices S Ravindra Bhat and G P Mittal also upheld the conviction of ex-deputy Director-General of the Department of Telecom (DoT) Runu Ghosh and Hyderabad-based Advanced Radio Masts (ARM) Managing Director P Rama Rao.

The 1996 telecom scam involved award of a contract to a Hyderabad firm for supplying telecom equipment to government at exorbitant rates.

The court also upheld the jail terms of Ghosh and Rao for two years and three years respectively, awarded by the trial court to them in July 2002.

The court ordered all three to surrender before the trial court to serve the sentence.

“The order on sentence impugned in all these appeals are, for the above reasons affirmed and left undisturbed. The appellants shall surrender and serve their sentences; they shall appear before the trial court for this purpose on January 5, 2012.”