New Delhi:
Suresh Kalmadi, arguably one of India's more controversial politicians, left Delhi's Tihar Jail today after being granted bail. The fact that Mr Kalmadi was imprisoned on charges of corruption has apparently not diminished his chances of re-claiming his job as President of the Indian Olympic Association or IOA. "It's upto him to decide if he wants to return as President. No one complained against Mr Kalmadi in meetings," said Tarlochan Singh, the Vice-President of the IOA. "People have faith in Kalmadi," he added. (Read:
Top 10 facts about Kalmadi's Commonwealth Games scandal)
When Mr Kalmadi was arrested, Vijay Kumar Malhotra took over as acting president of the IOA. The process of impeachment of the IOA president is a complicated one. The association will hold its next election in November. In any case, Mr Kalmadi seems to be drawing up a packed itinerary. Sources close to him say that he intends to write a book about the catastrophe of the Commonwealth Games. He will also try to play a lead role in the municipal elections in his hometown of Pune, which has the country's second-largest municipal corporation after Mumbai.
Mr Kalmadi, an MP from Pune, was granted bail by the Delhi High Court on Thursday morning. He was arrested in April last year for alleged corruption - as chairman of the Organizing Committee for the Commonwealth Games, Mr Kalmadi allegedly sanctioned an inflated contract worth 141 crores for timing equipment and scoreboards to a Swiss firm, 90 crores more than what should have been paid, according to investigators. Mr Kalmadi's close aide, VK Verma, arrested in the same case has also been allowed to leave prison today. The charges against Mr Kalmadi include conspiracy, forgery, misconduct and provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act. He has been suspended by his party, the Congress.
Explaining its decision to grant him bail, the court said that there was no danger of Mr Kalmadi trying to "flee from justice" and no proof that he "is threatening witnesses or interfering with evidence." The court also referred to the observation that "bail not jail is the norm" - a view shared by the Supreme Court when it granted bail to Sanjay Chandra and other telecom executives accused of conspiracy and cheating in the high-stakes scam that landed former minister A Raja in jail.
The Congress was coy today about what sort of role Mr Kalmadi, a former Air Force pilot, may play in the Pune civic polls, scheduled for next month. "I do not want to comment on this, it's not in my knowledge. When I get details, will come back to you," Congress leader Rashid Alvi said. But sources in Pune say Mr Kalmadi's presence will life the morale of party workers. Though the Congress has allied with Sharad Pawar's party, the NCP, for the Mumbai civic polls, the partnership has not extended to Pune. Mr Pawar wanted the stigma of Mr Kalmadi's arrest to give his party the edge in a city where Mr Kalmadi calls the shots. Mr Pawar may not have factored in Mr Kalmadi's release from jail.
Mr Pawar's NCP has a strong hold over Western Maharashtra, but Pune remains loyal to Mr Kalmadi, who has been MP from here seven times, thrice for the Lok Sabha.