I am giving below a press report on the jail conviction to Mr. Sukhram, former Communications Minister for corruption:
“New Delhi, Nov 19 (ANI): Former Telecom Minister Sukhram was today sentenced to five years in jail by a Delhi Court for taking Rs. 3 lakhs as bribe to give a lucrative contract to a private firm in 1996.

Sukhram, 86, a cabinet colleague of Prime Minister P V Narasimha Rao, was held guilty on Thursday under various provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act and the Indian Penal Code.

The CBI, in its charge sheet filed in 1998, had accused Sukhram of showing undue favour in awarding the cable supply contract to HTL. Sukhram had been put on trial along with HTL chairman Devinder Singh Choudhary who died during the trial.

In 2009, Sukhram had been held guilty of possessing disproportionate assets worth Rs. 4.25 crore.

In 2002, he was awarded a three-year jail term under the Prevention of Corruption Act in a separate case relating to equipment supply for causing a loss of Rs. 1.66 crore to the state exchequer. (ANI)”.

It is said that all of the 13-14 Communications Ministers, except one or two,after the neo-liberal policies have been introduced were either chargesheeted,convicted, politically lost or did not get the post of minister afterwards. I do not want to mention the names. The fact is that the fast and huge money involved and the pressure by the MNCs for favours have created a situation where no minister is spared from disaster.