Delhi Games chief remanded in police custody

An Indian court on Tuesday ordered the chief organiser of the Delhi 2010 Commonwealth Games to be held in custody for eight days while police investigate graft charges against him.

Suresh Kalmadi's court appearance came after the Central Bureau of Investigation arrested him on Monday for his role in awarding a $31 million contract for timekeeping and scoring equipment to a Swiss firm, Swiss Timing.

As Kalmadi, 66, entered the court, a slipper was thrown at him by a protester. Kalmadi appeared unconcerned by the attack as police detained the man for questioning.

Kalmadi, a member of parliament for the ruling Congress party, is accused of "wrongfully restricting and eliminating competition" from other suppliers.

Police allege the timekeeping contract was inflated by around $21 million.

The Games were meant to showcase India's status as an emerging global power, but the sporting headlines were stolen by venue delays, shoddy construction and budget overruns that saw the cost of the event triple to at least $6 billion.

Some media reports put the cost of the Games at $15 billion.

Kalmadi, who has denied any wrongdoing, was sacked as chairman of the Games organising committee as police investigated charges that the organisers had manipulated tenders and inflated costs.

India's national anti-corruption watchdog, the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC), received complaints alleging up to $1.8 billion of Games money was misappropriated.

Kalmadi is the third senior Games official to be arrested following accusations of financial wrongdoing laid against the secretary general, Lalit Bhanot, and the director general, V.K. Verma, in February.

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