Initiating the process for the arrest of National Games Organising Committee (NGOC) Treasurer Madhukant Pathak, the State Vigilance Bureau has written to the State Bank of India officials seeking permission to file chargesheet against him. According to fresh evidences gathered by the Vigilance Bureau, Pathak flouted financial rules in purchase of furniture worth Rs31.95 lakh without floating any tender for it.
“We have written to the concerned bank where Pathak has been working to seek permission for filing chargesheet against him. Once the permission is granted, we will act accordingly,” said Vigilance IG Ml Meena. It also has to be seen whether the charge-sheet being prepared was worth submitting or not, added Meena.
Other charges leveled in the FIR lodged by the Vigilance included purchase of equipment much in excess of actual requirements and at prices many times higher than actual market prices, purchase of electronic score boards from a single supplier at varying rates and granting of mobilisation advances to parties without obtaining bank guarantees.
Pathak along with National Games Organising Committee working Chairman RK Anand, Organising Secretary SM Hashmi, and PC Mishra, the then director of sports have also been named in the FIR.
The FIRs were registered following a complaint lodged by Bhola Nath Singh, then president of State wrestling federation with Vigilance Bureau on September 27, 2009.
Based on his complaint, the vigilance bureau filed an FIR on October 6 against these persons and conducted raids on the premises of some of the NGOC office bearers. Singh alleged that rules had been routinely flouted to purchase sports equipment and advances given to parties without bank guarantees.
Following complaints lodged by Singh, Mishra was removed from the post of sports director by then Governor K Sankaranarayanan in October 2009.
The Vigilance sleuths also arrested the Organising Committee Chairman of 34th National Games SM Hashmi and former Sports Director PC Mishra on October 14 in connection with the case while Pathak was let off after he pleaded that he had nothing to do with the scam and that payments were made only on the orders of higher ups.