The Supreme Court today cancelled bails granted to PriceWaterhouse partner Subramani Gopalakrishnan and Satyam’s internal auditor, Mr V.S. Prabhakar Gupta, directing them to surrender by April 30.

A Bench comprising Mr Justice P. Sathasivam and Justice Mr B.S. Chauhan cancelled their bail and directed them to surrender within this period, failing which the central investigative agency will take steps to arrest them.

The apex court, which had on April 18 reserved its order, said it was cancelling the bail of the accused after looking into allegations in the chargesheet filed by the CBI.

The orders were passed on the CBI’s plea seeking cancellation of bail granted to Mr Gopalakrishnan, partner of the global auditing firm PricewaterhouseCoopers and Mr Gupta, internal audit head of the scam-hit IT firm Satyam Computers.

The CBI had challenged the bail granted to Mr Gopalakrishnan and Mr Gupta, both accused in the alleged Rs 14,000 crore-Satyam scam, by the Andhra Pradesh High Court in June 2010.

Its plea was opposed by the counsels appearing for Mr Gopalakrishnan and Mr Gupta, who submitted that the investigating agency had approached the apex court ten months after the order passed by the High Court.

They further submitted that the Supreme Court had already given bail to one of the PWC auditors of Satyam — Talluri Srinivas — even as the CBI was seeking to send another auditor Mr Gopalkrishnan behind the bars.

However, the CBI contended this, saying there was difference in the role of Mr Talluri Srinivas and Mr Gopalkrishnan in the Satyam case.

“Mr Talluri was (there)for the period of last one year. He merely followed the principles of Mr Gopalkrishnan. Mr Gopalkrishnan has taken exorbitant fee from the company (Satyam). He even took charges for other services... It may be that the money was to help them (Raju) in conspiracy,” said the Additional Solicitor General, Mr H.P. Rawal, appearing for the CBI.

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