Kejriwal, BJP teamed up to create "false Commonwealth Games scam", should apologise to Congress: Jairam Ramesh

New Delhi [India], April 28 (ANI): With a Delhi court on Monday accepting Enforcement Directorate's closure report in a money laundering case related to the Commonwealth Games, Congress on Monday hit out at the BJP and AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal, saying they had levelled false allegations to defame the party.
Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Arvind Kejriwal should apologise to the Congress and the people of the country over the allegations.
He alleged that Arvind Kejriwal and the BJP had, before 2014, teamed up to fabricate scams like 2G and Commonwealth to defame the Congress.
Jairam Ramesh said false allegations were levelled against "two very honest and dedicated leaders--Dr. Manmohan Singh and Mrs. Sheila Dixit".

"The truth of 2G has already come out in the court. Today, the court has accepted the ED's closure report in the Commonwealth case as well. Clearly--both allegations were false! Narendra Modi and Arvind Kejriwal should apologize to the Congress and the people of India for misleading the country. Satyamev Jayate!" he said on X.
Party leader Pawan Khera attacked the BJP over its allegations in cases like 2G and CWG, saying "these cases were about political persecution and deflecting attention from their own failures".
He said the court decision is "moral and political indictment of the BJP's politics of false narrative".
"Today, the ED filed a closure report on the so called CWG scam. For years, the BJP ecosystem weaponized lies to tarnish the Congress over the issues like 2G, CWG, Mr Robert Vadra and coal. The truth stands tall, and their falsehoods lie in ruins. These cases were never about justice; they were about political persecution, headlines over substance, and deflecting attention from their own failures," he said in a post on X.
"The collapse of these manufactured cases is not just a legal victory, it is a moral and political indictment of the BJP's politics of false narrative. Truth does not shout from TV studios, it asserts itself quietly, powerfully, and inevitably. Will the Prime Minister apologise to the nation? Will Arvind Kejriwal apologise to the people of Delhi?" he asked.
A case of alleged corruption in 2010 Commonwealth Games (CWG) corruption reached a conclusion today as a Delhi Court approved Enforcement Directorate's closure report.
The case had initially drawn attention due to accusations against Suresh Kalmadi, the former Chairman of the Organizing Committee, and Lalit Bhanot, the then secretary general, along with others. Allegations centered on financial irregularities in awarding and executing two major contracts related to the CWG. These contracts were said to have caused undue financial gains to certain entities while inflicting losses on the Organizing Committee.
Special Judge Sanjeev Aggarwal, while accepting the ED's closure report, observed that the alleged offense under Section 3 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) could not be established due to the absence of proceeds of crime.
Furthermore, no scheduled offence, as defined under Section 2(1)(y) of the PMLA, was found to have been committed. The evidence on record clearly indicated that no act of money laundering, as outlined in Section 3 of the PMLA, 2002, had occurred.
The judge noted that despite thorough investigations by the ED, the prosecution was unable to substantiate any offense under Section 3 of the PMLA, which is punishable under Section 4 of the same Act. Consequently, there was no justification to continue with the present ECIR (Enforcement Case Information Report). As a result, the court accepted the closure report submitted by the ED.
Years earlier, in 2016, a special court had accepted the Central Bureau of Investigation's (CBI) closure report in a related corruption case. That case involved officials from the Central Public Works Department (CPWD), Delhi Development Authority (DDA), and a private firm, among others.
The CBI had concluded that evidence collected during its probe did not substantiate the allegations against those named in the FIR.
The CWG corruption scandal had sparked a political uproar in India, leading to multiple criminal and money laundering case.
The Special Judge, while accepting the ED's closure report, noted that the ED's probe had been initiated based on the CBI's findings, which alleged that contracts for Games Workforce Service (GWS) and Games Planning, Project and Risk Management Services (GPPRMS) had been awarded in a wrongful manner.
This allegedly resulted in undue financial benefits to a consortium involving Event Knowledge Service (EKS) and Ernst and Young (E&Y), causing a loss of Rs 30 crore to the CWG Organizing Committee.
The CBI itself filed a closure report in 2014, stating that no incriminating evidence had surfaced during its investigation. With both agencies unable to substantiate the allegations, the curtain finally fell on one of India's most controversial corruption cases. (ANI)