Published: Jul 25, 2015, 05:36 PM (IST)
Edited: Jul 25, 2015, 07:05 PM (IST)
On Saturday, in a major setback to Delhi police, a trial court discharged all the accused in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2013 spot-fixing case. The court discharged all 36 accused, who were arrested by police due to lack of evidence against them. Amongst those 36, the main focus was on S Sreesanth, Ankeet Chavan and Ajit Chandila, who were also charged by Delhi Police. READ: Charges against Sreesanth, Chandila and Chavan dropped
The Background of the case
These three cricketers were representing IPL team Rajasthan Royals when the scandal broke — and were arrested in May 2013. The Board of Control of Cricket in India (BCCI) did their internal inquiry. During the course of this case — the connection of underworld don Dawood Ibrahim and his aide Chhota Shakeel was alleged. On June 11, 2013, Ravi Sawani, BCCI’s Anti-Corruption and Security officer submitted his interim report. On September 13, 2013 BCCI suspended them. Sreesanth, Chandila and Chavan were given life bans and Amit Singh banned for five years. Siddhath Trivedi, who was found guilty of not reporting an approach for spot-fixing, was banned for one year.
So now, what’s the road ahead for them?
All these cricketers will look to get back to the field. Legally these cricketers are eligible to continue their cricketing career. But for this they need the clearance from BCCI. Amongst these three Sreesanth is an international cricketer, whereas Chavan and Chandila are First-Class players for Mumbai and Haryana respectively.
But will BCCI allow them to play?
Their lawyer will definitely appeal to BCCI to remove their suspension. Neeraj Kumar, who was the Delhi Police commissioner when these three were arrested is now the head of BCCI’s anti-corruption unit. It is highly unlikely that the IPL Governing council and disciplinary committee will clear them. Until and unless the BCCI clears them, they won’t be able to play any formal cricket (under BCCI) in India.
BCCI reaction
The reaction from BCCI regarding this matter is very clear. Their press release says, “Any disciplinary proceeding or decision taken by the BCCI is independent to any criminal proceeding and has no bearing. The decisions of the BCCI, based on its independent disciplinary action, shall remain unaltered.”
(Sandipan Banerjee is a reporter at CricketCountry. Cricket has been the biggest passion for him since his childhood. So, when it came to choosing his career, he chose to turn his passion into his profession. Apart from cricket he likes mountain trekking, river rafting, and photography. His twitter handle is @im_sandipan)
