SC grants bail to PwC auditor in Satyam case

The Supreme Court today granted bail to PricewaterhouseCoopers’ auditor Srinivas Talluri who was arrested in the Satyam fraud case for allegedly conniving with founder B Ramalinga Raju and other aides.

A bench headed by Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan directed Talluri to furnish a personal bond of Rs 20 lakh and two sureties of like amount.

While granting bail to Talluri, the bench, also comprising Justices J M Panchal and B S Chauhan, directed him to make his appearance twice a month before the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and not to leave Hyderabad without informing the investigating agency.

The bench said he had to make himself available before the CBI as and when required.

Talluri’s passport had already been impounded by the CBI.

The CBI had, on January 18, opposed the bail plea of Talluri on the ground that he was part of the conspiracy in the entire Rs 7,136-crore accounting fraud at Satyam Computer Services Ltd.

The Andhra Pradesh High Court had rejected the bail pleas of Talluri and another Price Waterhouse auditor, S Gopalakrishnan, accused in the case.

The auditors were arrested on January 24 last year on the charge of having conspired in the fraud and are in judicial custody at Chanchalguda central jail in the state.

The CBI has filed a chargesheet against B Ramalinga Raju, the founder of Satyam, and eight others, including the two auditors.