Scam Central (Update)

India's Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) arrested two of the Commonwealth Games Organizing Committee chairman Suresh Kalmadi's closest aides — ousted secretary-general Lalit Bhanot and director-general V K Verma, the Times of India reports.

Bhanot and Verma allegedly inked a $25 million contract with Swiss Timing Ltd for maintaining scores during the Games while ignoring competing bids, the paper said, quoting an unnamed CBI source as saying that there was evidence that the duo gained from the deal.

Meanwhile, Kalmadi himself lashed out at the Delhi state and Central governments, accusing investigating agencies of "targeting" only the Organising Committee when government officials were also part of the entire decision-making process, according to India Today.

No doubt he has a point, but his call for a Joint Parliamentary Committee to investigate has the whiff of an effort to make sure the whole investigation comes to nought, considering how long it took the Opposition to force PM Manmohan Singh to agree to a JPC to probe the 2G spectrum scam.