A Patiala House court has started the process of framing of charges against Suresh Kalmadi in the Commonwealth Games (CWG) case.
The CBI’s chargesheet against Kalmadi, chairman of the Commonwealth Games organizing committee, and his associates accuses them of causing a loss of about Rs 100 crore to the nation.
Framing of charges marks the beginning of the trial process. Based on police investigation, a list of charges are made against the accused.
Lalit Bhanot, VK Verma, Jayachandran have also been included in the chargesheet.
Kalmadi has been charged under the following sections of IPC
a) Section 120(B) – Criminal conspiracy – conspiracy to commit a crime, b) Section 420 – Cheating and Fraud and c) Section 467, 468 and 471 – Forgery, and 201 or destruction of evidence.
The accused can get up to 7 years in jail if the charges are proved.
The trial will start on the 20th of this month and be conducted 4 days a week.
Charges have also been framed from the Prevention of Corruption Act, and possibly under IPC’s criminal intimidation sections, in the Special CBI court in Delhi’s Patiala House court complex. CBI cases are heard by special trial courts called CBI courts.
The biggest chunk of the alleged loss is based on the timing, score and results system (TSR system) in which the organizers are accused of creating a loss of 90 crore in the 2010 games. The contract was given to Swiss Timing Omega. The organizers are accused of rejecting Spanish firm MSL’s lower bid of Rs 62 crore.
Kalmadi was arrested in April 2011, and spent nine months in jail, after which he was released on bail.