The judicial custody of sacked Commonwealth Games Organising Committee chief Suresh Kalmadi, arrested for alleged irregularities in awarding a contract to a Swiss firm, was extended on Wednesday by a Delhi court.
Taking serious note of the payment dispute between some Australian firms and organisers of the Delhi Commonwealth Games, the Sports Ministry has ordered the latter to settle the issue within ten days. Ajay Maken, the new sports minister, instructed the sports secretary to get in touch with the government officials in the Commonwealth Organising Committee and clear all legitimate payments after proper verification.
A complaint has been lodged at the Barasat women's police station in North 24 Parganas district in West Bengal, where the 24-year-old Arjuna awardee has been booked under the IPC sections for rape, criminal conspiracy, causing miscarriage without the woman's consent and cheating, the police said.
"It appears as if to economise was criminal and to splurge was civil." This was the observation made by the high-level Shunglu Committee, which found a loss of over Rs 1,600 crore in construction and renovation of venues for Commonwealth Games by different government agencies.
The Central Bureau of Investigation on Thursday went beyond probing only the officials of the Suresh Kalmadi-led Commonwealth Games Organising Committee to start cracking on those allegedly involved in corruption in construction and renovation of the stadiums.
International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Jacques Rogge will provide a much-needed lift for the troubled Commonwealth Games when he visits the site of the multi-sports gathering on Friday.
Senior officers of the Central Bureau of Investigation looking into the financial irregularities of the Commonwealth Games told rediff.com that they had enough evidence to prosecute Suresh Kalmadi, the sacked chairman of the Commonwealth Organising Committee.
The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Urban Development has called top officials from the ministry to brief it on the role and performance of various agencies under it in implementing the Games-related projects.
The Bharatiya Janata Party on Friday asked the Central Bureau of Investigation, which grilled Commonwealth Games Organising Committee Chief Suresh Kalmadi for nine hours, to stop "playing host" to the Congress leader and said his rightful place was in jail for "indulging in corruption" in the Games' projects.
Senior Bharatiya Janata Party leaders Ravi Shankar Prasad and Tarun Vijay on Friday rejected the government theory that the Central Bureau of Investigation raids on Congress MP Suresh Kalmadi, chairman of the Commonwealth Games Organising Committee is a natural culmination of unearthing the corruption in staging the gala Games.
Simply in no mood to oblige the Organising Committee, Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) on Friday made it clear that it would neither remove CGF chief executive Mike Hooper nor would backtrack on its plan to have a Technical Review Panel to monitor preparations for the 2010 Games. CGF president Michael Fennell advised the Games Organising Committee (OC) to focus more on the work at hand, rather than seeking someone's removal.
The 2010 Commonwealth Games Organising Committee on Friday said Australia have apologised for damaging a washing machine at the Games Village. 'The media reports regarding Australian celebrations at the Athletes' Village and the resultant damage to a washing machine is true. The person in charge of Tower 21 brought it to the notice of the village authorities,' Organising Committee general secretary Lalit Bhanot said.
Triple Olympic gold medalist sprinter Usain Bolt will take part in the 2010 Commonwealth Games in New Delhi, Organising Committee Chairman Suresh Kalmadi said in Port of Spain.
The Confederation of Indian Industry, Organising Committee of Commonwealth Games 2010 and Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce entered into an agreement to boost business ties between India and Canada.
A summary of sports events and sports persons, who made news on Thursday
Organising Committee chairman Suresh Kalmadi on Monday assured the members of the Coordination Commission (CoCom) of the Commonwealth Games Federation that considerable progress has been made in all areas towards successfully hosting the 2010 Delhi Games.
The extent to which the relationship between Commonwealth Games Federation CEO Mike Hooper and the 2010 Games Organising Committee (OC) has soured was evident when organizing committee officials tried to stop the New Zealander from addressing the media at their headquarters in New Delhi.
Rejecting suggestions that the government has clipped his wings by appointing a committee of bureaucrats, Commonwealth Games Organising Committee's embattled Chairman Suresh Kalmadi insisted that he is still the boss and the panel was instituted on his request.
In the wake of one of the biggest dope scandals in the country, the government today appointed Justice (retd) Mukul Mudgal to enquire into all aspects of the fiasco.
The Shunglu Committee has faulted the sacked chief of Commonwealth Games organising body Suresh Kalmadi and his aides over award of contracts saying there was "extreme concentration of powers at the top" and "conflict of interest" among the organising committee officials.
Indian contingent would be aiming to make it all good with strong medal-winning performances when the acutely-low-on-buzz Commonwealth Games start
The sudden postponement of the boxing trials for the Asian Games has left Olympic bronze medallist MC Mary Kom fuming as she termed the last-minute schedule change as highly unprofessional' on the part of the organisers.
Racing against time, the government formed a committee of senior bureaucrats to oversee the work at the Commonwealth Games venues virtually stripping Organising Committee Chairman Suresh Kalmadi of his powers.
The committee will float the tender by September 15, less than three weeks before the Games begin in New Delhi.
A Delhi court has ordered framing of charges against former Commonwealth Games (CWG) organising committee (OC) chairman Suresh Kalmadi and others for forgery, cheating and conspiracy, in a Games-related graft case.
The Delhi government on Wednesday approved its response to the Shunglu Committee report, rejecting all the findings of the panel that pointed to the alleged bungling in the Commonwealth Games projects.
Stepping in amid questions over Commonwealth Games preparations, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Saturday gave overriding powers to a committee headed by Cabinet Secretary, bringing into its ambit the Organising Committee that has been tainted by corruption charges.
Sacked Commonwealth Games Organising Committee chairman Suresh Kalmadi, the prime accused in a games related corruption case, on Wednesday told a Delhi court that his job was to look after the "sports affairs" and not the "technical" matters.
The Income Tax department has collected documents pertaining to tenders and award of contracts for its "two pronged" probe into the finances of the Commonwealth Games even as a high-level committee headed by a former CAG goes into allegations of corruption related to the mega sporting event.
Continuing his campaign against Narinder Batra, Indian Olympic Association vice-president Sudhanshu Mittal has written to International Olympic Committee's Ethics Commission chairman Ban Ki-moon, accusing the IOA president of "illegally" reinstating the "tainted" Lalit Bhanot into the national body. Mittal alleged that immediately after being elected as IOA president, Batra reinstated Bhanot in various capacities despite several cases of corruption related to the 2010 Commonwealth Games, pending against him in court.
The Congress top brass has accepted Suresh Kalmadi's resignation as secretary of the Congress Parliamentary Party with immediate effect. Kalmadi, the chairman of the Commonwealth Games Organising Committee, has been in the eye of a storm following allegations of corruption in CWG-related projects.
The Bharatiya Janata Party on Thursday said it was too early to react to the Karnataka Lokayukta's report on illegal mining, which has indicted Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa, and asked the Congress to first take action against those named in the Shunglu Committee and Delhi Lokayukta reports.
The Congress on Wednesday claimed that there was nothing wrong in former Union minister A Raja and Suresh Kalmadi being made members of Parliamentary Standing Committees. While Raja is the main accused in the 2G spectrum scam, Kalmadi is a prime accused in the Commonwealth Games scam.
Have your say on the latest controversy on the country's prestigious sports awards.
The government has sought the Commonwealth Games Organising Committee's response on alleged irregularities in executing several contracts which were pointed out in the high level Shunglu Committee report.
The Commonwealth Games Organisation Committee has sent its point-wise replies to the sports ministry on the Shunglu Committee findings seeking to put the blame on jailed former OC chairman Suresh Kalmadi and other officials for large-scale irregularities.
The GoM, which meets for the first time after the conclusion of the mega sporting event, is likely to focus on how the Organising Committee spent 1,600 crore rupees given by the Centre.
Two former office bearers of Commonwealth Games Organising Committee, Lalit Bhanot and M Jayachandran, arrested for their alleged roles in a games-related corruption case, were granted bail on Saturday by a Delhi court.
'The biggest question is why members of parliament and senior party functionaries of the BJP still supporting Suresh Kalamadi when they were opposing him for opposing the Congress Party'
The Enforcement Directorate has asked sacked Commonwealth Games Organising Committee Chairman Suresh Kalmadi to give details about his bank accounts, investments and other property related information in connection with its probe into the multicrore CWG scam.