india

Updated: Jan 24, 2014 01:17 IST

Three years after the Commonwealth Games led to one of India’s biggest corruption scandals, the investigation into the alleged irregularities committed is stumbling with the CBI having closed nine out of the 19 FIRs it had registered for lack of evidence.





Confirming this, a CBI source told HT, “We decided in the recent past to close probe in nine FIRs due to lack of concrete evidence that could have enabled us to establish the alleged criminality and irregularities. We vetted several materials of evidentiary value, including documents, and quizzed suspects but due to insufficient evidence, the agency decided against going further.”

This comes at a time when the newly-formed Aam Aadmi Party-led government in Delhi has announced its intention to go after its Congress predecessor in connection the 2010 CWG scam.

The FIRs that were closed were lodged between June 2011 and November 2013. The source said probe has also been closed in 11 of 12 preliminary enquiries (PE), also due to “lack of sufficient evidence”.

Among the nine FIRs is one pertaining to alleged irregularities in the award of the Games News Services contract, worth `9 crore, to a Dutch firm by the CWG organising committee.

“It was alleged the contract was given at a huge price and bypassing tender conditions, but the agency didn’t get evidence to substantiate the charges,” said the source.

Another FIR, in which the CBI filed a closure report on September 30, pertained to charges against officials of the Delhi Development Authority, Central Public Works Department and a private firm in connection with the laying of synthetic outdoor lawn bowl greens at `9.88 crore.

Investigations into contracts for laying seven synthetic athletic tracks and for renovation of the Dr Shyama Prasad Mukherjee swimming pool complex have also been closed, according to the source.

Among the investigations still underway, the CBI has filed charge sheets in seven FIRs while three FIRs and one PE are being probed, the source added. Three years after the Common-wealth Games led to one of India’s biggest corruption scandals, the investigation into the alleged irregularities committed is stumbling with the CBI having closed nine out of the 19 FIRs it had registered for lack of evidence.

Confirming this, a CBI source told HT, “We decided in the recent past to close probe in nine FIRs due to lack of concrete evidence that could have enabled us to establish the alleged criminality and irregularities. We vetted several materials of evidentiary value, including documents, and quizzed suspects but due to insufficient evidence, the agency decided against going further.”

This comes at a time when the newly-formed Aam Aadmi Party-led government in Delhi has announced its intention to go after its Congress predecessor in connection the 2010 CWG scam.

The FIRs that were closed were lodged between June 2011 and November 2013. The source said probe has also been closed in 11 of 12 preliminary enquiries (PE), also due to “lack of sufficient evidence”.

Among the nine FIRs is one pertaining to alleged irregularities in the award of the Games News Services contract, worth `9 crore, to a Dutch firm by the CWG organising committee.

“It was alleged the contract was given at a huge price and bypassing tender conditions, but the agency didn’t get evidence to substantiate the charges,” said the source.

Another FIR, in which the CBI filed a closure report on September 30, pertained to charges against officials of the Delhi Development Authority, Central Public Works Department and a private firm in connection with the laying of synthetic outdoor lawn bowl greens at `9.88 crore.

Investigations into contracts for laying seven synthetic athletic tracks and for renovation of the Dr Shyama Prasad Mukherjee swimming pool complex have also been closed, according to the source.

Among the investigations still underway, the CBI has filed charge sheets in seven FIRs while three FIRs and one PE are being probed, the source added.