New Delhi: Sacked Commonwealth Games
Organising Committee chief Suresh Kalmadi, arrested for his
alleged role in awarding a Games contract to a Swiss firm at
an exorbitant rate, was on Monday denied bail by a Delhi court.
Special CBI Judge Talwant Singh dismissed Kalmadi`s
bail plea along with that of Games organising panel`s Joint
Director-General (Sports) A S V Prasad, saying that "the
offences are of serious nature."
The court also that they might try to influence
witnesses, if enlarged on bail at this juncture.
The court also said that "Prasad was close to Kalmadi"
and had a key role in awarding the contract which caused huge
loss to the exchequer.
Kalmadi was arrested along with OC Joint Director
General (Sport) A S V Prasad and three others on April 25 for
awarding the contract for installing the Time-Scoring-Result
(TSR) system to a Swiss firm, Swiss Times Omega, at an
exorbitant cost of Rs 141 crore, causing a loss of over Rs 95
crore to the public exchequer
The court had earlier reserved its order on bail pleas
of Kalmadi and Prasad on May 16.
The CBI prosecutor had opposed Kalmadi`s bail plea,
saying his "conduct (in resorting to corruption in holding the
2010 mega sporting event) has tarnished the image of the
country."
The agency had argued that Kalmadi, as the head of the
OC, had "supreme and overriding powers" and "any official of
OC, who dared to protest against the illegal activities of
Kalmadi and his associates, was threatened, harassed and
removed from their position or were forced to leave."
The CBI had said that Kalmadi and his team had
declared the Swiss firm eligible for installing the Times
Scoring Result, even while the tendering process was still on
and there was ample time for various possible bidders for
submitting bids for it.
But Kalmadi and his team closed the bidding process
abruptly even before submission of a single bid for it after
arbitrarily choosing the Swiss firm for the job.
"The accused persons had become so brazen and bold
with no care and fear of the rules, regulations and the laws
that they openly declared that TSR will be provided by Swiss
Timing even when the tender was on and not a single bid had
been received," the CBI said in its reply.
Pressing for Kalmadi`s bail, senior advocate U U Lalit
had said his client had extended his support at all stages of
investigation to CBI.
"From lodging of the FIR till my arrest, at every level,
I (Kalmadi) have extended my support. I even went to the
extent that I did not file an anticipatory bail," he had
pleaded.
PTI
