Sukh Ram gets 5-year jail

New Delhi, November 19
A CBI court today sentenced former Union Telecom Minister Sukh Ram to five years imprisonment for taking a bribe of Rs 3 lakh while awarding a Rs 30 crore contract to a private company in 1996.

Judge RP Pandey also slapped a fine of Rs 4 lakh on 86-year-old Sukh Ram, who was the telecom minister when PV Narasimha Rao was the Prime Minister during 1991-96.

Yesterday, the court had convicted him under the Prevention of Corruption Act (PCA) for misusing his official position to favour Haryana Telecom Limited (HTL) in the award of contract for supplying cables to the telecom department.

The CBI prosecutor said Sukh Ram, a veteran politician from Himachal Pradesh who has been a senior minister in the state Cabinet, was being taken into custody immediately and sent to Tihar jail as statutory bail was granted only if a sentence was for three years or less.

As Sukh Ram stepped out of the court at Rohini in North-west Delhi, he was attacked by a person. The unarmed assailant, identified as Harvinder Singh, slapped and kicked the 86-year-old politician.

Harvinder was overpowered and taken to Prashant Vihar police station for questioning. The motive for the attack could not be ascertained immediately.

During the arguments on the quantum of sentence, Sukh Ram pleaded for leniency in view of his advanced age and the premise that he had participated in the trial for the past 13 years. Further, he has been suffering from age-related problems and has lost his wife.

Opposing his plea, the CBI pointed out that Sukh Ram was a habitual offender and had been sentenced in two other cases.

Sukh Ram would be lodged in prison number one of Delhi’s high-security Tihar Jail.