While the legal cases largely collapsed due to lack of "commercial quantity" evidence, the scandal changed the public perception of Bollywood as a "nepotistic, drug-fueled bubble." It triggered a debate about moral policing versus genuine investigation. It also highlighted how WhatsApp has become a primary source of evidence in modern Indian scandals.
Suresh Kalmadi, the chairman of the organizing committee, was jailed. The scandal exposed how major sporting events in India had become "money laundering vehicles." It led to the resignation of senior sports officials and a decade of cynicism regarding public infrastructure projects. Indian Scandals