By IANS,
New Delhi: Anil Kumar Madan and Purushottam Dev Arya, the two promoters of Faridabad-based Gem International who are accused in a CWG-related corruption case and are on the run, approached the Delhi High Court Monday for anticipatory bail.
Taking note of their application, Justice A.K. Pathak issued a notice to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for its response by July 5.
Madan approached the court for anticipatory bail on the ground that he is old, infirm and a handicapped person suffering from life threatening ailments.
“In January 2011, he lost vision in his left eye because of retinal detachment and retinal detachment in other eye is in progress,” said the application, adding that he also suffered from severe heart ailments.
In its first charge sheet indicting former Organising Committee (OC) chairman Suresh Kalmadi and ten others, the CBI has said Madan and Arya, the authorised representatives of ‘Swiss Timing’, which was “fradulently” awarded the timing, scoring and result (TSR) equipment contract, were personally known to Kalmadi long before the mega sporting event.
The CBI has said Gem International had even obliged Kalmadi as early as Oct 16, 2008, by going out of the way to make a significant payment on his asking.
OC Secretary General Lalit Bhanot and former Director General V.K. Verma were also close to them.
“Call records show that there were telephonic contacts between them as early as February 2009,” the CBI said.
Swiss Timing had been engaged for providing some components of TSR services even during the Commonwealth Youth Games (CYG), 2008, when Kalmadi, Bhanot and Verma came in contact with Arya and Madan and other representatives of the Swiss firm.
The CBI has in its 50-page charge sheet said that Gem International also paid over Rs.71 lakh to an event management company at the behest of Kalmadi for certain additional services pertaining to the closing ceremony of the CYG, which was authorised personally by Kalmadi over and above the main contract.
This was done without any competitive bidding process or reflection of the same in the official or financial record of the OC.