A day after court summons, ex-Min Sukhram slips into coma

New Delhi, Jan 6: A day after former Telecom Minister Sukh Ram, who was convicted in the 1993 telecom scam was asked to surrender before a trial court to serve his three year jail term, his counsel in court declared that the former minister has slipped into a coma. He made the revelation before the Delhi court on Friday. The 84-year-old, Sukh Ram was undergoing treatment in a Delhi hospital.

Ailing Sukh Ram's surrender in court was deferred by a day as he could not appear in court. The other two convicts in the case, former Deputy Director-General of the Department of Telecommunications Runu Ghosh and Managing Director of Hyderabad-based firm Advanced Radio Masts P. Rama Rao have been taken into custody after they surrendered as per the court order.

Sukh Ram's counsel told the court, "He has gone into coma, he cannot move from hospital." He added that Sukh Ram was hospitalised after undergoing computerised tomography (CT) angiography. Special Judge Sharma deferred the matter for tomorrow (Saturday) as concerned Special CBI Judge Sanjiv Jain was on leave on Friday.

The Special Judge said, "As the applicant/convict has gone into coma and judge in charge is on leave and is joining his duty tomorrow let the matter be put up for consideration before him tomorrow at 10 am."

Sukh Ram, Telecom Minister between Jan 18, 1993 and May 16, 1996, in the Narasimha Rao government, had conspired with Ghosh and Rama Rao and approved the ARM Ltd's bid despite its rates being higher than other bidders.

Subsequent to the registration of various cases, the CBI, in 1996, had allegedly seized Rs 3.6 crore cash, concealed in bags and suitcases, from Sukh Ram's residence here.

OneIndia News