Lax CBI facilitates bail of Meroform director in C'Wealth Games scam

Businessman Binu Nanu, arrested for allegedly paying kickbacks to Commonwealth Games (CWG) organising committee officials to secure several lucrative contracts for providing logistic support to last year’s mega sporting event, was granted bail by the Delhi high court on Tuesday as CBI expressed inability to file a charge sheet against him in the stipulated time.

Justice Ajit Bharihoke granted the bail on a personal bond of Rs50,000 with two sureties of the same amount.

This is, however, not the first case in which an accused has got bail due to CBI laxity. Three other accused of the C'Wealth Games scam have also benefited from CBI’s failure to file charge sheets within 60 days.

Nanu, director of M/s Meroform Indian Private Limited (France) and M/s GL Events Private Limited, will, however, join investigation as and when required and not try to tamper with the evidence or influence witnesses, the judge said. He also ordered Nanu to surrender his passport before a trial court.

CBI had arrested Nanu on January 17, after which former organising committee chief Suresh Kalmadi’s another aide Shekhar Deorukhkar and organising committee director general VK Verma were also arrested.

Meanwhile, a Delhi court extended the judicial custody of organising committee secretary general Lalit Bhanot and Verma till March 29.