CWG scam: CBI files charge sheet against Kalmadi and others

New Delhi, May 20 (PTI) The premier Indian
investigative agency, CBI on Friday filed its first charge
sheet in a Delhi court against sacked CWG Organising Committee
chairman Suresh Kalmadi, describing him as a "main accused" in
a corruption case relating to irregularities in awarding a
games-related contract to a Swiss firm.
The probe agency, in its over 50-page charge sheet,
has accused Kalmadi as the key person with all the powers to
take decisions regaring award of contracts.
"Kalmadi is the main accused as he was the person with
all supreme powers. He had the supreme over riding powers in
the Organising Committee of the CWG, 2010," the charge sheet
said.
Special CBI Judge Talwant Singh took the charge sheet
into record and fixed it for taking up the issue of congisance
on it on May 23.
Besides Kalmadi, the agency has named two companies
and eight persons including OC former Secretary General Lalit
Bhanot and former Director General V K Verma as accused and
sought their prosecution under various provisions of the IPC,
dealing with criminal conspiracy, forging documents and using
fake documents as genuine.
According to the charge sheet, the accused allegedly
awarded the lucrative contract to the Swiss firm to install a
Timing-Scoring-Result (TSR) system for the Commonwealth Games
at an exorbitant cost, causing a loss of over Rs 90 crore to
the exchequer.
In its charge sheet, the CBI has also named Games
Organising Committee Joint Director General (Sport) A S V
Prasad, Deputy Director General (Procurement) Surjit Lal,
Treasurer M Jayachandran.
Others who have been chargesheeted include A K Reddy,
Managing Director of Hyderabad-based AKR Constructions, and
the promoters of Faridabad-based Gem International, A K Madan
and P D Arya. The Faridabad firm was outsourced a substantial
portion of the contract that Swiss Timing-Omega won for the
Commonwealth Games.
The charge sheet, which has indicted various accused
for committing offences under the Indian Penal Code and the
Prevention of Corruption Act, has also named the two
companies, AKR Constructions and Swiss Timing-Omega.
Reddy, Madan and Arya are on the run with the CBI,
armed with non-bailable warrants, hunting for them.
The charge sheet has named over 50 witnesses to prove
the allegations against Kalmadi and others.
While Kalmadi, Prasad and Lal was arrested on April
26, Bhanot and Verma were arrested on February 23. They are
presently lodged in Tihar Jail.
Kalmadi had earlier sought bail from the court, which
has reserved its order on his plea for Saturday.