Sukhram gets three-year jail term

A Delhi city court Wednesday awarded three-year imprisonment to former Union Telecom Minister Sukhram (82) for amassing disproportionate assets worth Rs.4.25-crore while being a public servant.

The court has also slapped a fine of Rs. 2 lakh on him and ordered to forfeit the unearthed assets before the court.

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The court, however, granted bail to former Member of Parliament from Mandi, Himachal Pradesh (HP) on a personal and surety bonds of Rs. 50,000 each.

Special CBI judge V K Maheshwari convicted Sukhram for accumulating movable and immovable assets of Rs.4.25-crore during the period 1991 to 1996, when he was a union telecom minister in the then Prime Minister P V Narsimharao’s Cabinet.

CBI had filed the case under section 13(2) and 13(1)(e) dealing with criminal misconduct of a public servant under the Prevention of Corruption Act in tune of gathering 5.32-crore of disproportionate assets. The court had convicted Sukhram on February 20 and announced yesterday to pronounce the quantum of sentence on February 25.

CBI on Monday had demanded the court to sentence a maximum term punishment of seven year, but Justice Maheshwari after hearing both side arguments announced only a three-year imprisonment and Rs.2,00,000 fine.

Defence counsel S P Minocha urged the court to take kind approach towards the minister considering his old age, poor health condition and fine past track record as a politician as well as the minister.

The police had unearthed the cash amounts of Rs.3.61-crore from his Delhi and HP residence, jewellery worth Rs.1-crore, bank balance of Rs.4,92,000 and household articles worth over Rs.1-crore besides other items on August 16, 1996 when he was Union Minister of State for Telecommunication during 1991 to 1996.