Kalmadi under scanner for purchase of HOVA Courts

NEW DELHI: The Suresh Kalmadi-led Commonwealth Games Organising Committee is under the scanner of the Central Bureau of Investigation for irregularities in the purchase of HOVA Courts used for badminton matches.

The investigating agency is focusing on the role of sacked OC Director-General VK Verma, chargesheeted in the timing, scoring, result, or TSR, scam and is lodged in Tihar jail. "CVC has sent us a reference on irregularities committed in the purchase of the courts. We are look into the deal, and may register a FIR,'' according to a CBI official.

Against the requirement of 18 HOVA Courts, the OC decided to buy 26 such surfaces, at a cost of 6 lakh each. "The amount involved is not much, but they were purchased on a single-vendor basis, giving rise to doubts about the entire transaction,'' the sources added.

The courts were bought from Yonnex, a reputed international firm specialising in sports equipment.

"But what has aroused our suspicion is that Verma, to buttress their argument, gave a patently fraudulent statement in writing to the effect that the World Badminton Federation had testified that the HOVA Courts manufactured by Yonnex were the best and that the OC should go for them,'' the official said.

The OC subsequently conducted an internal inquiry, and found that there was no such communication from the federation. "Verma fabricated a statement. There was no such directive from the WBF,'' the CBI official said.

The investigating agency, which has already filed 12 FIRS in connection with irregularities committed in various aspects of the Commonwealth Games, held here in October last year, may register a case in the deal to purchase HOVA courts. "We are in the process of collecting more information. If necessary, we may file a fresh case,'' the CBI official said.

The Organising Committee led by Kalmadi, suspended Congress MP representing Pune, has been the object of several other cases. The CBI has already filed at least five cases naming members of the panel. These include the AM Cars and Vans and AM Films, overlays, TSR and the merchandising contracts.

Kalmadi and four of his associates, including Lalit Bhanot, Surjit Lal, ASV Prasad and Jeyachandran, besides Verma, have already been named as accused in the CBI chargesheet in the TSR contract case on May 20. Jeyachandran is absconding, while the remaining four are incarcerated .