After Darbari, another Kalmadi aide gets bail in CWG scam case

NEW DELHI - A Delhi court Saturday granted bail to former Commonwealth Games Organising Committee (OC) official Sanjay Mahendroo, who was arrested for his alleged involvement in the Queen’s Baton Relay scam in London in 2009.

A Patiala House court granted bail to Mahendroo, who was the deputy director general (marketing), as the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) failed to file a chargesheet against him within the stipulated 60 days of his arrest.

The court also took in account the Delhi High Court’s Friday order, in which it granted granted bail to former OC official T.S. Darbari and slated for Jan 17 the hearing of the bail plea of another official, M. Jayachandran.

“In pursuance of the Delhi High Court order, the accused is enlarged on bail as the CBI could not file the chargesheet within 60 days,” Special CBI Judge O.P. Saini said in his order.

“They have completed their 60 days custody, and CBI is unable to find the chargesheet, therefore on technical grounds, bail should be granted,” the defence counsel said.

Darbari, the joint director general (revenue, marketing and chairman secretariat) in the OC and Mahendroo, the deputy director general (marketing), were arrested Nov 15.

The court granted bail to Mahendroo on a personal bond of Rs.50,000 with two sureties of the same amount and asked him not to leave the country without its permission. It also cautioned him against trying to influence prosecution witnesses or tamper with evidence in the case.

Meanwhile, the CBI has time till Jan 20 to file its chargesheet against Jayachandran, joint director (finance), who was arrested on Nov 21, failing which he too will be released on bail.

According to the Criminal Procedure Code, an undertrial is entitled for bail if the investigating agency fails to file a chargesheet within two months of his arrest.

The officials are facing charges of causing a loss of Rs.1.55 crore to the exchequer in awarding a contract for the Baton Relay function Oct 29, 2009, in London before the Commonwealth Games.

The CBI registered two cases in connection with contracts awarded at exorbitant rates to London-based AM Films and AM Car and Van Hire Limited.

The CBI has questioned OC chairman Suresh Kalmadi and carried out searches at his premises in Delhi, Pune and Mumbai.

CBI has named Darbari, Mahendroo, Jayachandran, OC director Raj Singh, director of transport firm Ashish Patel, and other unknown persons under sections 468 (forgery of court records and public documents), 471 (using forged documents as genuine), 120-B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code and Prevention of Corruption Act.

The second case involves London-based AM Films and the probe agency had named Patel, Mahendroo, Darbari and others under sections 420 (cheating) and 120-B (criminal conspiracy).

The accused are already facing charges of violation of Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) and have been questioned by the Enforcement Directorate (ED).

The ED had registered its first case under FEMA in CWG after British authorities referred to the Indian High Commission a matter regarding AM Films, a little-known company, to which a huge sum of money was transferred through the Royal Bank of Scotland.