Shri Sukh Ram

Shri Sukh Ram, former Member of the Indian National Congress from Mandi, served as the Union Minister of Telecommunications during the controversial privatization of the Indian telephone system in the early 1990s, under the government of Prime Minister P. V. Narasimha Rao.

In December of 1995, Sukh Ram was criticized for allegedly favoring specific companies in dealing out licenses and contracts during the telecommunications privatization, and for receiving bribes to do so. The controversy over these contracts led to a stalemate in the Indian Parliament for several weeks.

On August 16, 1996, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) raided Sukh Ram’s two homes, and seized Rs 5.78 crore stuffed into suitcases and trunks, as well as diaries containing bank accounts and names of individuals who had made bribes to Sukh Ram. This was the largest single raid conducted by the CBI on an individual in its history. The CBI then began an investigation into all contracts and licenses made by Sukh Ram’s office during his tenure, and set out to track down Sukh Ram and take him into custody. 

On September 16, 1996, the CBI arrested Sukh Ram after his return to India from London, on charges of possessing assets disproportionate to his known sources of income.  In December of 1996, Sukh Ram was also charged with abusing his official position as Minister of Telecommunications by granting an unfair advantage to a private telecom firm, Advanced Radio Masts Pvt. Ltd. (ARM) in an Rs 1.68 crore grant. (US 335,000)

In June of 1998, the CBI filed a third set of charges against Sukh Ram, accusing him of granting a contract worth nearly Rs 30 crore to Haryana Telecom Limited (HTL), after receiving a bribe of Rs 3 lakhs from the chairman of HTL.

After several years of legal back-and-forth, including the lengthy wait for the approval of the President to try a former government official for corruption under the Indian Prevention of Corruption Act, the former Union minister was sentenced on the ARM charge to three years imprisonment and a fine of Rs 2 lakhs.  This sentence was suspended on appeal by the Delhi High Court.

In February of 2009, Sukh Ram was convicted of possessing assets disproportionate to his known sources of income, ordered to forfeit assets worth Rs 4.35 crore (US 836,000), pay a fine of 2 lakhs, and offered bail of Rs 50,000.

Sukh Ram still awaits trial on the second telecom corruption charge involving Haryana Telecom Limited.

Prepared by Eric Robinson.