After 10 months Ramalinga Raju appears before court

HYDERABAD - After a gap of 10 months, disgraced former chairman of Satyam Computer Services B. Ramalinga Raju Tuesday appeared before court in the multi-crore accounting fraud.

A frail-looking Raju, who is suffering from Hepatitis C, walked into the Nampally Criminal Court complex accompanied by doctors from the Nizams Institute of Medical Sciences (NIMS).

Raju, granted conditional bail by the Andhra Pradesh High Court last week, appeared before the trial court to fulfill the bail condition that he should be present in the court during every hearing.

The prime accused in the case was in the court for 15 minutes and was taken back to NIMS after completing formalities.

Earlier, Raju’s lawyer Bharat Kumar requested the judge to allow him to return to NIMS as he was not well.

Raju had been evading court since November last year when he was admitted to NIMS for treatment. Quoting reports of doctors, his lawyer said his condition was serious. However, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has voiced doubts about his medical condition.

Meanwhile, his lawyer is contemplating to file a petition in the high court seeking exemption from appearing before the trial court during every hearing.

The high court May 18 granted bail to Raju, who had shocked corporate India in January last year by admitting to a massive Rs.14,000 crore fraud in the IT major.

Nine other accused in the case are already released on bail.