New Delhi:
Suresh Kalmadi, who cited dementia while asking for bail last year, attended a meeting of Parliament's Defence Consultative Committee.
The 30-member committee is headed by Defence Minister AK Antony; it has MPs from different parties from the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. Their job is to supervise and review the long-term plans of the Defence Ministry and make recommendations to the ministry.
Mr Kalmadi spoke for 10 minutes about Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and the delays in introducing the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) in the Indian Air Force. The aircraft has been in development with HAL for the last 27 years, and though the air force has given an initial clearance for its operation, there's no clarity on when the plane will actually be inducted for use.
This was Mr Kalmadi's first appearance at the committee since he was released from Tihar Jail in January. He has been charged with corruption during his high-profile term as head of the committee that organised the Commonwealth Games in India in 2010. He was arrested in April last year for hiring time-keeping and scoring equipment from a Swiss firm for the Games even though its prices were unreasonably high.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has also accused Mr Kalmadi of violating foreign exchange laws while making payments to a London-based firm that he hired for the Queen's Baton Relay. The event, held in September 2009 in London, kickstarted the Commonwealth Games.