Ex-OC official,supplier sent to 14-day judicial custody

A CBI court on Monday sent Additional Director General (Finance and Accounts) of the Commonwealth Games Organising Committee K U K Reddy and overlays supplier Praveen Bakshi to 14 days of judicial custody. Reddy and Bakshi,director of ESA JV,were arrested on February 22 after crucial documents related to overlays contracts were recovered from their residence days earlier. Their police custody ended on Monday.

The CBI alleged that Reddy had accepted a huge bribe from Bakshi and other suppliers to award contracts of overlays for different Games venues at exorbitant rates,and release payments. The investigating agency claimed OC Director General V K Verma and other OC officials entered into a criminal conspiracy with managing director of Mero Firms Binu Nanu and others to accord undue benefit to GL Events,Pico Deepali Overlays Consortium,Nussli Ltd and ESA JV in awarding overlays contracts.

Verma and OC’s former secretary general Lalit Bhanot are already in police custody in connection with alleged irregularities in the Rs 107-crore deal with Swiss Timing Limited. They will be produced in court on Tuesday.