A Delhi court today directed Sanjay Mahendroo,a close aide of former CWG Organising Committee chairman Suresh Kalmadi,to appear before the CBI on January 27 in the probe in an alleged cheating case relating to the mega sporting event. Special Judge Talwant Singh disposed of an application of Mahendroo,deputy director general in CWG OC,who had expressed his willingness to surrender in the case. In its order,the court asked Mahendroo to appear before the CBI on January 27. It,however,directed the probe agency not to stretch his questioning beyond seven hours and also asked it to allow presence of his lawyer during such session. Mahendroo,who was arrested on November 15 last year in another case,has been granted bail by the court. The CBI,in its reply,submitted before the court that it did not require the custody of Mahendroo. It,however,said that he could cooperate with the probe agency under Section 160 (power of police to summon witnesses) of the Criminal Procedure Code. The court had earlier on January 20 directed the CBI to file its response on his application. In the application filed through his counsel,Mahendroo had submitted he was ready to cooperate with CBI as and when desired by it in the probe into the case involving London-based A M Films. CBI has named London-based Ashish Patel,Mahendroo and another official T S Darbari and others under sections 420 (cheating),120-B (criminal conspiracy) of the IPC and the Prevention of Corruption Act. The accused are also facing charges of violation of Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) and have been questioned by the Enforcement Directorate. The ED had registered its first case under FEMA in CWG after British authorities referred to the Indian High Commission a matter regarding A M Films,a little-known company,to which a huge sum of money was transferred through the Royal Bank of Scotland. Mahendroo,arrested on November 15 for his alleged role in financial bunglings in holding the Queen Baton's Relay in London in 2009 in the run up to the Games here,was granted bail by the court after CBI failed to file chargesheet against him within stipulated 60 days.
