CWG scam: CBI told to file charges against Kalmadi, Bhanot

A Delhi court today ordered the Central Bureau of Investigation to frame charges against sacked Commonwealth Games organising committee chairman Suresh Kalmadi and 10 others involved in the CWG scam. All the accused will be charged for cheating, forgery, and criminal conspiracy, as well as under the Prevention of Corruption Act.

The court has fixed 10 January as the deadline for framing charges against all the accused in the case. Along with Kalmadi, former CWG organising committee secretary general Lalit Bhanot is also one of the accused in the cases. Bhanot is currently caught up in another controversy related to the Indian Olympic Association.

Besides Kalmadi and Bhanot, nine others were chargesheeted by the CBI for allegedly "illegally" awarding a contract to install the timing, scoring and results system for the 2010 CWG to Swiss Timing at inflated rates, causing a loss of over Rs90 crore to the exchequer.

They were charged under various provisions of the Indian Penal Code, including criminal conspiracy under Section 120(B), cheating (Section 420), and forgery (Section 468 & 471). The CBI had alleged Kalmadi and others had rejected Spanish firm MSL's much lower bid of Rs62 crore and awarded the contract to Swiss Timing Omega.

The other nine accused in the case are CWG organising committee director general V K Verma, director general (procurement) Surjit Lal, joint director general (sports) A S V Prasad and treasurer M Jayachandran. They are no more associated with the sporting body.

Promoters of two construction companies – P D Arya and A K Madan of Faridabad-based Gem International and A K Reddy of Hyderabad-based AKR Constructions - are also accused in the case.