1993 telecom scam: Supreme Court judge recuses from hearing Runu Ghosh's plea

NEW DELHI: A Supreme Court judge today recused himself from hearing former bureaucrat Runu Ghosh's plea seeking a stay on the Delhi High Court order asking her to surrender tomorrow to serve her two year jail term in a 1993 graft case.

As soon as the matter came up for hearing before a bench of justices B S Chauhan and T S Thakur, the latter recused himself from hearing the matter.

The bench then said the case be listed before another bench tomorrow. Ghosh had moved the apex court on January 3 challenging her conviction and punishment.

The Delhi High Court had on December 21, 2011 upheld convictions of former Telecom Minister Sukh Rama, Ghosh and Hyderabad-based Advanced Radio Masts Pvt Ltd's Managing Director P Rama Rao in the telecom scam case related to equipment supply deal between the firm and Telecom Department.

The court had asked them to surrender before the trial court on January 5 to serve their respective sentences.

While Sukh Ram and Rao were awarded three year jail term each in the case, Ghosh was awarded two year jail term.