(From left) Renuka, Aseela and Zahra, whose husbands Sharad Kumar, Vinod Goenka and Karim Morani are accused in the 2G case, outside the Patiala House courts. Pictures by Prem Singh

New Delhi, May 30: They used to holiday in Europe with their husbands this time of the year, staying in top-class hotels and shopping for the finest that money could buy, far away from India’s heat and dust.

This summer, the wives of India’s 2G-tainted telecom bosses are shuttling between a Delhi courtroom and jail, standing by their men as they suffer mosquito stings and rub shoulders with petty criminals in Tihar.

While the Spectrum Spouses’ act may not compare with Anne Sinclair’s public defence of Dominique Strauss-Kahn — the former IMF boss is accused of sexually assaulting a hotel maid — their staunch support has probably been the only solace for their husbands in this difficult hour.

The wives have been camping in the capital since the industry honchos were arrested well over a month ago. Wearing branded salwar suits or jeans and tops, the half-a-dozen Mumbai women can be seen sitting beside their hubbies in the CBI court through the 10am-4pm hearings everyday.

The women are mostly aged 35 to 40 though the youngest, the wife of Swan Telecom promoter Shahid Usman Balwa — once India’s youngest billionaire — is in her mid-twenties.

They bring lunch for the men and make it a point to walk up to the court lock-up gates with them after the day’s proceedings, parting with a hug and a promise to meet the next morning.

In the courtroom, a couple can sometimes break out giggling as the wife gently rubs ointment on the prickly heats on her man’s hands and neck. At other times, one may see a wife break down in tears.

“All of the men have got skin inflammation and rashes because of the heat in their jail cells. They have never been exposed to such heat,” a relative of Balwa grumbled.

“The jail authorities do not allow them to carry ointment inside, so the courtroom is the only place where they can use it.”

Friends and family say the ordeal seems to have brought the couples closer. A relative of Swan Telecom director Vinod Goenka said: “It’s after a very long time that I’m seeing him talking to Aseela for so long. He would always be too busy with work and never had time to talk to her.”

The women seem to have bonded well among themselves, too. “We are like one family with a single mission: how to help our husbands come out clean from the false charges,” said one of the wives, pleading she not be named.

Every day after court, they leave for their hotel around 5pm. After a short rest, they are at their lawyers’ chambers. On Saturdays and Sundays, when the court is closed, they unfailingly arrive at Tihar during visiting hours.

“I had never thought in my worst nightmares that I would ever have to visit a jail. I had never been to a court, either. The first day here was so embarrassing — and scary as well,” said one of the wives.

Another worried about the mosquito bites her husband was enduring in his cell, where he sleeps on the floor and uses an open washroom. “It’s a nightmare for all of them. I am shattered but all I can do is pray,” she said.

Goenka was sent to jail on April 20 along with Unitech managing director Sanjay Chandra and three Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group officials: senior vice-president Hari Nair, group managing director Gautam Doshi and group president Surendra Pipara.