NEW DELHI: There seems to be no end to wealth that former communications Minister Sukh Ram has amassed during his stint as Minister in the Congress Governments at the Center and in Himachal Pradesh. It is learned that the Central Bureau of Investigation has confirmed that Mr. Sukh Ram owns majority of shares in a five star hotel at Chandigarh. He also owns an orchard in the heart of Shimla. Both the properties are found to be benami. The orchard is in the name of his relative, while shares in the Chandigarh hotel, owned by a local businessman, are reportedly in the name of his son, daughter, wife and other relatives, sources said. The value of Mr. Sukh Ram’s shares and the Shimla orchard is valued at over Rs 10 crore. The CBI has already recovered cash and properties worth over Rs 4 crore from Mr. Sukh Ram’s house. Of Rs4crore, Rs 3.61 crore was in hard cash. The CBI, which has seized another lengthy list of properties including some guest houses, allegedly belonging to Mr. Sukh Ram, is in the process of “verifying” the veracity of these proper ties and their owners. Most of the properties are benamis and thus has increased the CBI’s burden to prove them as part of Mr. Sukh Ram’s wealth, sources said, but incriminating evidences seized from his Mandi residence and hotel reveal that Mr. Sukh Ram has acquired lot of property in Punjab and Himachal Pradesh allegedly in connivance with former Punjab Governor Surendra Nath. Mr. Nath, who: died in a plane crash, near Kulu, was handling the additional charge of Governor of Himachal Pradesh at the time of his death. After his death, the police had also recovered crores of rupees worth property and cash from his house. The CBI is also investigating into land deals, which had allegedly been fixed by Mr. Sukh Ram with the help of Mr. Nath the prime land at Chandigarah was allotted to the confederation of Indian Industry at throwaway prices, the sources said.
Article extracted from this publication >> September 25, 1996
