New Delhi:In a major development after over a decade of legal battles and political fallout, former Union Minister and ex-MP from Pune, Suresh Kalmadi, has been given a clean chit in the infamous 2010 Commonwealth Games scam. Nearly 14 years after the controversy erupted, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has filed a closure report before the Rouse Avenue Court in Delhi, officially clearing Kalmadi and others accused in the case.
The court’s acceptance of the closure report has brought significant relief to Kalmadi, who was once the face of India’s ambitions during the 2010 Delhi Commonwealth Games but whose political career collapsed following the corruption allegations.
The alleged scam, which surfaced during the tenure of the Congress-led UPA government, revolved around accusations of irregularities in awarding contracts related to the Games’ organization. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had charged that improper awarding of contracts, particularly to a Swiss company, resulted in a financial loss of approximately ₹90 crore (USD 11 million) to the exchequer.
Following these revelations, Kalmadi was arrested on 24 April 2011 and spent about nine months in judicial custody before being granted bail by the Delhi High Court. Along with Kalmadi, Lalit Bhanot, the then secretary-general of the Games Organizing Committee, and several others were implicated.
The CBI had claimed that two particular contracts — Games Workforce Services (GWS) and Games Planning, Project and Risk Management Services (GPPRMS) — were awarded improperly to consortiums involving firms like EKS and Ernst & Young, facilitating undue financial benefits. However, after extensive investigation, the CBI filed a closure report in January 2014, stating that there was insufficient evidence to prosecute any of the accused.
Despite the closure report by the CBI, the Enforcement Directorate had continued its investigation under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) based on the original charges. After years of inquiry, the ED, too, failed to find prosecutable evidence and formally submitted a closure report to the Rouse Avenue Court.
On Monday, Special Judge Sanjeev Aggarwal accepted the ED’s closure report, observing that no offense of money laundering under Section 3 of the PMLA could be established against Kalmadi or the other accused.
The court noted that despite detailed investigation, the ED could not unearth any material evidence supporting the allegations of illicit financial transactions linked to the alleged scam.
The verdict effectively ends one of India’s longest-running political and legal sagas involving alleged corruption in a mega international event. Kalmadi, once a prominent figure in Indian sports administration and politics, had to step away from public life following his arrest.
Although today’s decision brings legal closure, the Commonwealth Games controversy remains a reminder of the reputational risks India faced on the global stage during that time. Public perception regarding political accountability and corruption continues to be a sensitive topic, even as individuals like Kalmadi are legally exonerated.
