CWG: Kalmadi seeks court's permission to attend Parliament

New Delhi, Jul 23 (PTI) Congress MP and sacked chief
of CWG Organising Committee Suresh Kalmadi on Saturday
requested a Delhi court to grant him custody parole to attend
the Monsoon session of Parliament beginning August 1.
"Accused Suresh Kalmadi has moved an application
seeking permission from the court to attend the Parliament
session. A notice be issued to the CBI for Monday," Special
CBI Judge Talwant Singh said.
66-year-old Kalmadi, who is a Lok Sabha member from
Pune, sought the court's permission to attend the 8th session
of the 15th Lok Sabha commencing from August 1.
Earlier this month, Kalmadi had written to Lok Sabha
Speaker Meira Kumar seeking her permission to attend the
monsoon session of Parliament. The Speaker, however, had said
that he would be able to attend Parliament only if a competent
court allowed him to do so.
In his application, moved through his counsel, he
told the court that he has been served with summons from Lok
Sabha Secretary General T K Vishwanathan to attend the session
beginning August 1.
While seeking court's permission to attend the
Parliament session, which is slated to last till September 8,
and "other incidental and necessary meetings" of it, Kalmadi
said being a peoples' representative "he has a larger role to
play in the polity of the nation as an MP."
Kalmadi also contended that denial of the permission
to attend Parliament would "amount to denial of his right to
participate in the proceedings of Parliament as a member
accrued under the Constitution of India."
Kalmadi also pleaded to the court to allow him to
travel in his "duly authorised private vehicle which has the
necessary permission to enter the Parliament complex."
He contended that there is no apprehension of his
absconding as "he is a highly respected member of the society
and is holding political office in the country." His mere
release to attend the Parliament proceedings "would not
intimidate witnesses or otherwise obstruct the course of
justice."
Kalmadi and ten others stand accused of committing
corruption, cheating, forgery and hatching criminal conspiracy
in illegally awarding a contract to install timing, scoring
and result system to a Swiss firm on exorbitant rate.
The court has sought CBI's reply on the application
and put up the matter for Monday. PTI AKI
RCJ