CWG scam: HC reserves order on bail plea of Suresh Kalmadi

The Delhi High Court today reserved its order on the bail plea of former CWG Organising Committee chairperson Suresh Kalmadi, an accused in a Commonwealth Games-related graft case.

Justice Mukta Gupta also reserved the order on the bail petition of V K Verma, former Director General of the Organising Committee for the sporting event held here in 2010.

Dayan Krishnan, counsel for CBI, opposed the applications of the accused by citing a Supreme judgement and said "keeping in view the kind of influence these people wield, bail cannot be granted to them."

Advocate Mukul Rohtagi, appearing for Kalmadi, objected to CBI's contentions saying "how hollow and preposterous the submission is ?"

He said Kalmadi is an MP and was in the army and "CBI cannot put him on the same footing with the criminals."

Seeking bail for Kalmadi, he said "the trial of the case was delayed because documents were not in order, not on one occasion but on many occasions."

Advocate N K Kaul, appearing for co-accused V K Verma, said in every case CBI "mechanically opposes the bail plea. It should be more sensitive and respect the spirit of personal liberty."

"Merely because some high profile persons are involved, CBI cannot re-write the bail jurisprudence," he said.

CBI has alleged Kalmadi and others allegedly awarded a contract to a Swiss firm to install a Timing-Scoring-Result (TSR) system for the Games at an exorbitant cost causing a loss of over Rs. 90 crore to the exchequer.