4 min readApr 26, 2026 07:30 AM IST
AS INDIA gears up to host the 2030 Commonwealth Games in Gujarat, financial dues of the games’ Delhi edition held in the country for the first time two decades back in 2010, continue to linger.
An outstanding liability of Rs 28.05 crore was cleared in 2025-26. An estimated Rs 50 crore has been set aside for 2026-27. More than Rs 13 crore spent on legal and arbitration fees. And 29 cases are still being heard at various courts.
Four years from now, Ahmedabad will welcome more than 70 nations in 2030 in what will be the centenary year of the Commonwealth Games. Earlier this month, a Commonwealth Sport delegation led by president Donald Rukare and chief executive Katie Sadlier toured venues across Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar, Vadodara and Ekta Nagar, praising the “scale of planning” and “quality of venues”.
Yet the legal and financial fallout of the scandal-tainted 2010 Delhi Games continues to drag on, according to details obtained by The Indian Express under the Right to Information (RTI) Act and from public records.
Responding to RTI requests seeking details of the outstanding liabilities of the erstwhile Organising Committee of the 2010 CWG, the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports said it cleared dues to the tune of Rs 28.05 crore in 2025-26. This payment was made to MTNL.
A parliamentary committee report tabled in the Lok Sabha on March 18 estimated that Rs 50 crore will be required in 2026-27 to clear remaining liabilities. However, the ministry did not confirm the figure in its RTI reply.
“It is submitted that a payment of Rs 28.05 crore was made during year 2025-26 to the MTNL. Further outstanding liability cannot be confirmed at this stage as the same is dependent on the decision in matters which are sub-judice,” the ministry said.
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Further, the ministry said that 29 Games-related cases remain pending before various courts as of April 22, 2026. It listed 24 vendors, individuals and authorities involved in the 29 cases, with the Union government as one of the parties in each of them.
Asked about the details of the amounts pending in the disputed cases, the ministry replied: “Outstanding liability cannot be assessed as the matters are sub-judice.”
Some of the major vendors listed are Nussli Switzerland, which was awarded a contract of Rs 128 crore for games overlays, according to a 2011 report by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG). The list also includes Electronics Corporation of India for a contract approved at Rs 346 crore.
Legal costs have also mounted over the years, with Rs 6.37 crore spent on lawyers and Rs 6.63 crore on arbitrators and tribunals since 2010.
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According to the CAG report, the estimated cost of the 2010 CWG had ballooned from Rs 297 crore, mentioned in a Cabinet note of May 2003, to Rs 18,532.31 crore in October 2010. The final financial burden may take years to fully emerge as cases continue in courts.
In April 2025, former Indian Olympic Association president and 2010 Organising Committee chief Suresh Kalmadi was cleared of major charges related to the Commonwealth Games scam, with a Delhi court accepting closure reports in money laundering cases. After his arrest in 2011 and ten months in jail, the Enforcement Directorate and the Central Bureau of Investigation were unable to substantiate allegations of corruption against him, effectively giving him a clean chit. Kalmadi died in January 2026.
However, allegations of corruption, shoddy planning and delayed infrastructure damaged India’s global image, and even successfully staged events such as Formula 1 races, the U-17 FIFA World Cup, and recent cricket and hockey World Cups have not fully offset that perception.
The country has now set its sights on hosting the 2036 Olympics, with the 2030 Commonwealth Games seen as a key platform to restore credibility. For the 2030 Games, operational costs are projected between Rs 3,000 crore and Rs 5,000 crore, alongside a broader ‘Amdavad 2030’ infrastructure push spanning transport, hospitality and sports facilities.
© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd
