Kalmadi aide Mahendroo released from jail

CWG organising committee chairman Suresh Kalmadi's close aide Sanjay Mahendroo, who had been arrested for alleged bunglings in the Queen's Baton relay in London in 2009, was released here on bail on Saturday evening following a court order.

However, Mahendroo did not speak to the waiting mediamen outside the high security Tihar jail where he was lodged for the last two months. Earlier in the day, a Delhi court had granted bail to Mahendroo after the CBI failed to file a charge sheet against him within the stipulated 60 days after the FIR was lodged inthe case.

Mahendroo, a joint director general in the CWG OC, had been in jail since November 15 last year after he was arrested along with his colleague T S Darbari, a co-accused in the case who has already been granted bail.

Special CBI Judge O P Saini enlarged Mahendroo on bail after CBI failed to complete the investigation and file its chargesheet in the case within the stipulated 60

days' period after registration of the FIR. The court also took into account the Delhi High Court's order, which had yesterday granted bail to co-accused Darbari in the case.

"In pursuance of the Delhi High Court order, the accused is enlarged on bail as the CBI could not file the chargesheet within 60 days," the special CBI judge said. Darbari, a former official of the CWG organising committee and another close aide of Kalmadi, too had been given bail on account of CBI's failure in filing thechargesheet within 60 days.

The court granted bail to Mahendroo on a personal bond of Rs 50,000 with two sureties of the same amount and asked him not to leave the country without its permission. It also cautioned him against trying to influence prosecution witnesses or tamper with the evidence in the case while remaining out on bail.