<p>A bench of justice Suresh Kait suspended the sentence keeping in view his old age and various ailments.<br /><br />"I suspend the sentence till disposal of case," the court said.<br /><br />The court released him on bail considering that he is an 86-year-old heart patient and keeping in view the medical report submitted by the Tihar Jail authorities, which said he suffered from heart diseases and cervical spondylitis.<br /><br />It directed Sukh Ram to furnish two sureties of Rs 10 lakh and asked him not to leave the country without the prior permission of the court.<br /><br />The CBI had opposed his bail, saying he has been convicted twice earlier and is a habitual offender.<br /><br />Sukh Ram, who had held the Telecom portfolio in P V Narasimha Rao's cabinet, was convicted on November 17 in a cable contract case. He was handed out five years jail term by Special CBI judge R P Pandey on November 19 and sent to jail.<br /><br />He was convicted for misusing his official position during his tenure as Telecom Minister in award of a contract worth Rs 30 crore to Haryana Telecom Limited (HTL), a private firm, to supply 3.5 lakh conductor kilometres (LCKM) of PIJF cables to the telecom department after taking Rs 3 lakh as bribe.</p>.<p>Sukh Ram had earlier been convicted in two separate corruption cases in 2002 and 2009 but remained out of jail after suspension of his sentence.</p>
<p>A bench of justice Suresh Kait suspended the sentence keeping in view his old age and various ailments.<br /><br />"I suspend the sentence till disposal of case," the court said.<br /><br />The court released him on bail considering that he is an 86-year-old heart patient and keeping in view the medical report submitted by the Tihar Jail authorities, which said he suffered from heart diseases and cervical spondylitis.<br /><br />It directed Sukh Ram to furnish two sureties of Rs 10 lakh and asked him not to leave the country without the prior permission of the court.<br /><br />The CBI had opposed his bail, saying he has been convicted twice earlier and is a habitual offender.<br /><br />Sukh Ram, who had held the Telecom portfolio in P V Narasimha Rao's cabinet, was convicted on November 17 in a cable contract case. He was handed out five years jail term by Special CBI judge R P Pandey on November 19 and sent to jail.<br /><br />He was convicted for misusing his official position during his tenure as Telecom Minister in award of a contract worth Rs 30 crore to Haryana Telecom Limited (HTL), a private firm, to supply 3.5 lakh conductor kilometres (LCKM) of PIJF cables to the telecom department after taking Rs 3 lakh as bribe.</p>.<p>Sukh Ram had earlier been convicted in two separate corruption cases in 2002 and 2009 but remained out of jail after suspension of his sentence.</p>