Queen’s baton relay: 3 top CWG officials named in chargesheet

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Friday filed its chargesheet in connection with alleged irregularities in the conduct of the Queen’s Baton Relay (QBR) event in London — held in October 2009 ahead of the 2010 Commonwealth Games (CWG) in Delhi — against three senior officials of the Organising Committee (OC), a London-based Indian businessman and two firms owned by him.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Friday filed its chargesheet in connection with alleged irregularities in the conduct of the Queen’s Baton Relay (QBR) event in London — held in October 2009 ahead of the 2010 Commonwealth Games (CWG) in Delhi — against three senior officials of the Organising Committee (OC), a London-based Indian businessman and two firms owned by him.

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The CBI chargesheet did not include the name of OC’s former chairman Suresh Kalmadi as an accused.

The chargesheet named as accused OC officials TS Darbari, Sanjay Mohindroo and M Jeychandran, and London-based businessman Ashish Patel and his two firms — AM Car & Van Hire and AM Films — that had bagged two contracts for the QBR event in an allegedly irregular manner.

The accused persons and the two firms were charged with criminal conspiracy, fraud, using as genuine a forged document or electronic record and forgery for the purpose of cheating under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, said CBI spokesperson Dharini Mishra.

The chargesheet was submitted in a Patiala House court in Delhi.

In its First information Reports, lodged around 20 months ago in November 2010, the CBI had alleged that Patel’s firms had bagged two contracts worth over R2 crore from the OC at an exorbitant price in an irregular manner.

The OC’s deal with AM Films was for the installation of three video screens near Buckingham Palace in London. AM Cars & Vans got the contract for providing logistics, including transportation.

A few months ago, Patel had recorded his statement with the CBI. The three OC officials were allegedly associated with the finalisation of the deal with Patel’s firms, a charge they had earlier denied.