Sukhram to move HC against conviction, 5 year jail term

Former Telecom Minister Sukhram would challenge in the Delhi High Court his conviction and five-year jail term for taking Rs three lakh as bribe to award a lucrative contract to a private firm in 1996.

Sukhram's counsel Pawan Narang said he would go through the judgement passed on Saturday by Special CBI Judge RP Pandey, who has also imposed a fine of Rs four lakh on the veteran leader.

"We will challenge this order in the Delhi High Court next week," he said.

The 86-year-old leader, who had been free despite being convicted in two corruption cases, was Saturday arrested and taken to Tihar jail.

Sukhram, who held Telecom portfolio in the PV Narasimha Rao's cabinet and was convicted on Thursday in a cable contract case for taking Rs3 lakh as bribe, was handed out five years' jail term by the Special Judge.

Besides the present case, Sukhram was awarded a three-year jail term in 2002 in a case lodged under the Prevention of Corruption Act relating to equipment supply that resulted in a loss of Rs 1.66 crore to the state exchequer.

He was also convicted and sentenced to three years in jail in 2009 for possessing disproportionate assets worth Rs 4.25 crore.

Both the cases are pending in the Delhi High Court.