Who Failed the CWG Probe – CAG, CBI, ED, or Politics?
Suresh Kalmadi, CWG 2010 Logo, Sheila Dikshit (Image credit X.com)
CWG Scam Fades: ED Closes Kalmadi Case, No Convictions in ₹70,000 Crore Corruption Saga
By Kumar Vikram
New Delhi, May 1, 2025 – A Delhi special court has accepted the Enforcement Directorate’s (ED) closure report in a money laundering case against Suresh Kalmadi, former chairman of the 2010 Commonwealth Games (CWG) organizing committee, ending a 15-year saga that helped topple the Congress-led UPA government.
With the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) having closed its case in 2016, the alleged ₹70,000 crore CWG scam—once a symbol of rampant corruption—has faded without a single conviction.
Fifteen years later, the question persists: Who failed to deliver justice? Was it the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) for raising an alarm that didn’t hold up, the CBI and ED for faltering investigations, or politics that exploited the scandal only to abandon it once power changed hands?
A Scandal That Shook a Nation
The 2010 CWG, hosted in Delhi from October 3–14, was meant to showcase India’s global rise. Instead, it became a lightning rod for corruption allegations after a CAG report exposed glaring irregularities in contract awards and procedural lapses.
The report flagged rushed timelines and financial losses, notably in contracts for Games Workforce Service (GWS) and Games Planning, Project & Risk Management Services (GPPRMS), awarded to a consortium of Event Knowledge Service (EKS) Switzerland and Ernst & Young (E&Y), allegedly causing a ₹30 crore loss.
The Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) had earlier, in July 2010, reported irregularities in 14 CWG projects, estimating misappropriation between ₹5,000 crore and ₹8,000 crore.
The CBI filed an FIR in 2012 against key officials, including Kalmadi, while the ED launched a 2013 probe under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). The scandal fueled public outrage, amplified by the then-opposition BJP, which branded the UPA as corrupt.
The political fallout was catastrophic, contributing to the UPA’s 2014 election rout.
Probes Fizzle, Accountability Eludes
Despite early momentum, the investigations collapsed. In January 2014, the CBI filed a closure report, citing insufficient evidence, which a special court accepted in February 2016. The ED’s probe met a similar end in April 2025, with its closure report stating no “proceeds of crime” were found, a key requirement for PMLA charges.
The court noted that “discreet investigations” revealed no grounds to proceed, closing the case.
Kalmadi, arrested in 2011 for alleged conspiracy and cheating in a ₹141 crore timing-scoring contract, was released on bail in 2012 and never convicted. Other accused, including Lalit Bhanot and VK Verma, also faced no lasting consequences.
The lack of convictions has sparked debate, with Congress leaders like Jairam Ramesh claiming vindication, alleging the scam was a “fabricated” BJP-Kejriwal ploy to discredit the UPA.
Who Bears the Blame?
The CWG saga raises uncomfortable questions about accountability. The CAG’s damning report, pivotal in exposing the scandal, failed to translate into courtroom success.
Were its allegations overstated, or did the CBI and ED lack the rigor to build airtight cases? The CBI’s 2016 closure cited inadequate evidence, while the ED’s recent report suggests the financial trail didn’t support money laundering charges.
Alternatively, politics may be the true culprit. The BJP leveraged the CWG scandal to devastating effect in 2014, yet under its rule, both probes quietly fizzled.
Meanwhile, the Shunglu Committee, appointed by then-PM Manmohan Singh to probe the games, implicated officials and Delhi CM Sheila Dikshit, but its findings led to no prosecutions.
A Systemic Breakdown?
The CWG scandal underscores India’s struggle to secure convictions in high-profile corruption cases. The CAG played its role as a watchdog, but its findings couldn’t bridge the gap to judicial outcomes.
The CBI and ED, despite early arrests, failed to sustain their cases, hampered by evidentiary gaps or prosecutorial lapses. Politics, however, may have dealt the fatal blow: the BJP’s fervour for accountability waned once power was secured, leaving the scandal as a political weapon rather than a resolved case.
As India reflects on the CWG’s tarnished legacy, the absence of justice highlights systemic flaws. Was the CAG’s alarm premature, the agencies’ probes inadequate, or the political will fleeting?
The answer, it seems, lies in a toxic mix of all three, leaving a nation still grappling with the ghosts of 2010.
(This is an opinion piece; views expressed solely belong to the author)
Follow The Raisina Hills on WhatsApp, Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, and LinkedIn
About The Author
