Delhi High Court on Wednesday upheld the conviction of former Telecom Minister Sukhram and also the three year jail term awarded to him in the 1996 telecom scam.

While dismissing Sukhram's appeal against his conviction, a Bench of Justices S Ravindra Bhat and G P Mittal also upheld the conviction of ex-deputy Director-General of the Department of Telecom, DoT, Runu Ghosh and Hyderabad-based Advanced Radio Masts' Managing Director, P Rama Rao.

The court also upheld the jail terms of Ghosh and Rao for two years and three years respectively, awarded by the trial court to them in July 2002.

The court ordered all three to surrender forthwith before the trial court to serve the sentence.

In its 120-page judgement, the Bench, however, acquitted Sukhram of the charge of conspiracy in giving the equipment-supply contract to Advanced Radio Masts but upheld his conviction on charges of misusing his official position for pecuniary gains in the scam besides committing criminal misconduct. The Court, however, upheld the conviction of Ghosh and Rao on charges of conspiracy.

The High Court upheld Sukhram's conviction close on the heels of a trial court holding him guilty in another case involving supply of telecom cables to the Department of Telecom during his tenure as telecom minister in mid 90s.

The court had sentenced him to five years imprisonment for taking three lakhs rupees as bribe to give the lucrative contract to another private firm in 1996. Later, the High

Court had stayed the conviction and granted him bail.