Two CWG scam accused granted bail

A Delhi court today granted bail to two businessmen arrested for their alleged role in the Commonwealth Games-related graft case involving sacked CWG Organising Committee (OC) chief Suresh Kalmadi.

Special CBI judge Talwant Singh, however, denied bail to third businessman AK Reddy, promoter of AKR Constructions and a co-accused in the case, on the grounds of parity with other accused in the case.

The court granted bail to promoters of Faridabad-based Gem International, Purushottam Dev Arya and Anil Kumar Madan, saying they are unlikely to temper with the evidence or influence witnesses.

The duo were given bail on a personal bond of Rs 25,000 each along with one surety of the same amount.

Madan and Arya, who have already been granted bail in the graft case, were still in jail along with Reddy in connection with other case registered against them for evading arrest after being summoned by the court after the charge sheet was filed against them by the CBI.

The special judge while rejecting Reddy's bail plea said, "In my view, accused 9 (Reddy) cannot claim parity with other accused persons in view of the observation made by this court in its order dated January 4, 2012 and the Delhi High Court order dated January 19, 2012."

The court had earlier dismissed Reddy's bail plea observing that he was having influence over witnesses as some of them were his employees.

Reddy had sought bail on grounds of parity with other accused in the case, contending that the allegations levelled against him were not "so serious" as compared to those against Kalmadi and OC former director general V K Verma, who were earlier granted bail by Delhi High Court.

The CBI had opposed the bail pleas of all the three businessmen saying they were absconding and were compelled to surrender and thus they do not deserve to be released.

The court had earlier declared Reddy, Madan and Arya proclaimed offenders in the case for avoiding its summonses and arrest warrants to stand trial.

The three are now facing trial along with Kalmadi and seven others for their alleged role in the award of contract for installation of Timing, Scoring and Result System for the Games to a Swiss firm -- Swiss Timing Omega.

The Swiss firm had later sub-contracted its work to Faridabad-based Gem International, which, in turn, had given it to Reddy's Hyderabad-based firm.

While Madan and Arya had surrendered on August 16 last year, Reddy had surrendered on August 20 last year.

The trio have been accused of conspiring with Kalmadi and others in the case involving award of the contract to Swiss Timing, causing an estimated loss of over Rs 95 crore to the exchequer.

The other accused who are out on bail are Kalmadi, Verma, OC Director General (Procurement) Surjit Lal and Joint Director-General (Sports) ASV Prasad, OC treasurer M Jayachandran, former secretary general Lalit Bhanot. Besides them, two firms, AKR Constructions and Swiss Timing, are also accused in the case.