HC grants bail to three convicts in CWG street lights scam

The Delhi High Court on Monday granted bail to two MCD officials and a private firm's director sentenced to four years in jail in the Commonwealth Games street lights scam.

Justice Indermeet Kaur granted bail to the Municipal Corporation of Delhi's then executive engineer O.P. Mahala, then tender clerk Gurcharan Singh, and J.P. Singh - director of Sweka Power Tech Engineering Pvt Ltd.

The high court asked them to furnish a personal bond of Rs.50,000 each.

On September 2, a trial court awarded four years' jail terms to four MCD officials in the scam.

Those awarded the jail terms were Mahala, Gurcharan Singh, MCD's then superintending engineer D.K. Sugan and then accountant Raju V.

Sweka Power's director J.P. Singh was sentenced to four years in jail while managing director T.P. Singh was awarded a six-year prison term.

The four MCD officials were held guilty of criminal conspiracy and cheating under the Indian Penal Code, while Sweka Power and its directors were convicted for offences dealing with criminal conspiracy, cheating and forgery.

This was the first CWG irregularities case decided by a court.

According to the CBI charge sheet filed on July 28, 2011, the accused entered into a criminal conspiracy for upgrading street lights in view of the Commonwealth Games in October 2010 and awarded the related contract to a private firm by manipulating tender documents.

This caused undue pecuniary loss of over Rs.1.42 crore to the government, it said.