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BCCI Official: Delhi Court’s decision on Sreesanth, others an embarrassment for Neeraj Kumar

The feeling in BCCI is that it will be difficult to revoke the ban.

Neeraj Kumar was Delhi Police's commissioner in 2013, now he is the advisor of BCCI Anti-corruption unit © IANS
Neeraj Kumar was Delhi Police’s commissioner in 2013, now he is the advisor of BCCI Anti-corruption unit © IANS

New Delhi: A Delhi court’s verdict dropping all charges against former India paceman Sreesanth and two other cricketers in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2013 spot-fixing scandal has brought back the spotlight on former Delhi Police Commissioner Neeraj Kumar. Incidentally, it was under Kumar’s leadership that Delhi Police had arrested the trio of Sreesanth, Ajit Chandila and Ankeet Chavan and now the retired IPS officer is the chief advisor to the Board’s Anti-Corruption Unit (ACU) replacing Ravi Sawani. In fact, murmurs have already started in the board circles about how well Kumar will perform in his role after Delhi Police’s investigations have fallen flat with Patiala House Court discharging the trio along with 33 others in the IPL 2013 spot-fixing scandal. READ: Charges dropped against Sreesanth, Chavan and Chandila: What lies ahead?

“Yes, it is a bit of an embarrassment no doubt for Neeraj Kumar as he lead the investigations. Although BCCI’s decision remains unaltered, it seemed like Delhi Police’s investigations were a botched-up one,” a senior BCCI official said today. But for BCCI, their defence of Kumar is that he was not a part of the investigations for the entire duration. “While it is true that Kumar was Delhi CP when they [cricketers] were arrested. But post arrest, he retired and the investigations were carried on. If the Delhi Police have failed to provide any evidence, how can you blame Kumar for that?” the official questioned. READ: IPL 2013 spot-fixing scandal: Charges against Sreesanth, Chandila and Chavan dropped

The feeling in BCCI is that it will be difficult to revoke the ban as it was BJP heavyweight Arun Jaitley-headed disciplinary committee that imposed the life ban on Sreesanth and Chavan. “Look, there are still a few bridges that needs to be crossed before anything radically different happens. We need to wait whether Delhi Police appeals against the Patial House verdict in Higher Court. Then probably, the legal team can somewhat decide on the next course of action,” said the official. READ: Sreesanth: Want my daughter to know me as cricketer, not terrorist

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