Court to take cognisance of charge sheet on Aug 27

NEW DELHI, Aug 18:
A Delhi court has slated August 27 to consider taking cognisance of the CBI charge sheet in the case of alleged financial bungling during the 2009 Queen’s Baton Relay in London before the Commonwealth Games here.
Special CBI Judge Talwant Singh will consider taking cognisance of the charge sheet filed against four persons, including three CWG Organising Committee (OC) officials and two companies.
In its 21-page charge sheet, the CBI has named former OC Joint Director-General T S Darbari, Deputy Director General Sanjay Mahendroo and Treasurer M Jaychandran.
London-based businessman Ashish Patel and his two firms A M Car and Van Hire Ltd and A M Films have been named as accused in the charge sheet.
The accused had been booked under various provisions of the Indian Penal Code relating to criminal conspiracy, cheating and forgery besides violations of the provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act.
The CBI, however, has dropped erstwhile OC Director Raj Singh from the list of accused in the charge sheet due to lack of evidence against him in the case.“There is no evidence against Raj Singh to prove forgery or knowledge on his part in respect of the forged e-mails,” the CBI said in the charge sheet.
The CBI had lodged two separate cases against these former OC officials but filed a combined charge sheet in the court.
Darbari, Mahendroo and Jaychandran were earlier arrested in 2010 but were released on bail as the CBI could not file the charge sheet within the statutory time limit of 60 days after the arrest of the accused in corruption cases.
The agency, in its charge sheet, has said the OC members had conspired to award contracts of local transportation and others to Patel’s firms at exorbitant rates during the 2009 QBR event held in London.
The former OC officials had been booked for the alleged irregularities in payments made to the UK firm A M Car and Van Hire Ltd for transportation services during the QBR.
While AM Films was awarded the work of installing three video screens near the Buckingham Palace during the event, A M Cars was given the contract for providing logistics.
This is the second charge sheet after Timing, Scoring and Results case out of the 18 cases registered by the agency for alleged irregularities in Commonwealth Games. (PTI)