Delhi Commonwealth Games chief arrested over corruption

Police say he will be charged with conspiracy regarding the awarding of commercial contracts for the Games.  Kalmadi however denies any wrongdoing pertaining to the allegations of sleaze and incompetence that marred the build-up to the Games, held in the capital in October.

Kalmadi is expected to appear in court on Tuesday. If found guilty he could face years in prison.

A spokesman for India's Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) confirmed Kalmadi was arrested "for conspiracy to cause favour to a company in Switzerland while procuring timers and scoring equipment for the Games".

Other charges relate to contracts at a 2009 event in London which marked the start of a baton race across Commonwealth countries, reports add.

Earlier In February, organising committee Secretary General Lalit Bhanot and another top official, VK Verma, were also arrested and accused of financial irregularities linked to the Games.

In all, the Games cost several billion dollars to stage - and were meant to do for India's image what the Olympics did for China, the BBC reports.

However the event was undermined by allegations of corruption and was so badly organised they became a national shame - especially after photographs emerged showing the filthy state of the athletes' accommodation. The row over the Games is but one of a series of corruption scandals that has rocked India in recent months.

The budget for the event ballooned to an estimated $6bn (£3.87bn) - with India's federal corruption commission receiving complaints alleging that up to $1.8bn (£1.08bn) of Games money was misappropriated.

Also on Monday, Kanimozhi - an MP and the daughter of a key ally in the coalition government - was charged with handling bribes. The allegations relate to the a multi-billion dollar scandal over the sale in 2008 of mobile phone licences for a fraction of their real value.

India's former telecoms minister, Andimuthu Raja, has already been charged with conspiracy, forgery and fraud over the scandal.

Another allegation which has angered the public centres on claims that houses intended for war widows were diverted to civil servants.

Earlier this year, the head of the country's anti-corruption watchdog was forced by the Supreme Court to resign, on the grounds that he himself faced corruption charges.