Kalmadi finally sacked as chairman of CWG OC

The axe has finally come down on Suresh Kalmadi. He has been sacked as the chairman of Commonwealth Games Organising Committee (OC) while his aide, Lalit Bhanot, has been removed as the committee's secretary general. The decision, which was taken by new union sports minister Ajay Maken, came on the advice of the attorney general.

Kalmadi and Bhanot were leaders in the organisation of the Commonwealth Games, that came to be embroiled in allegations of fraud and mismanagement that cost hundreds of crores of rupees.

According to Maken, the two have been ousted to ensure that there were no obstacles to the investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into the corruption charges.

The responsibility for the duo's portfolio's will now be taken by OC CEO Jarnail Singh.

According to the CBI, Kalamadi had been 'impeding' the probe into the alleged instances of corruption, with bureaucrats under him refusing co-operation, let alone testifying against Kalmadi.

The cabinet secretary KM Chandresekhar had been told by the probe agency earlier, that the continuance of the duo was proving to be hindrance to the probe into the conduct of the Games and their removal was urgently warranted.

According to a report in The Indian Express, a probe officer said the probe was at a stage when it was trying to understand how decisions were taken in the OC, when it was first formed, and when several serving and retired bureaucrats joined it. He added that several fresh CWG cases were yet to be filed and the flow of information and documents from the OC headquarters had been far from satisfactory. He added that OC officials would continue to hesitate sharing information with the agency till the chairman and secretary general were sitting there.

The probe agency has already booked three FIRs in CWG-related cases, the latest on 30November when the residences of Bhanot and oc director general VK Verma were raided and they were named in an FIR in connection with the purchase and contracting of TSR (timing, scoring and result) equipment used for the Games.