Cricketer S Sreesanth coming out of the Patiala House Courts in New Delhi. (Photo: PTI)
In a major blow to the Delhi police’s special cell, the unit probing the alleged 2013 Indian Premier League 6 spot-fixing scam, a Delhi court on Saturday acquitted all the 36 accused persons, including former India cricketer S. Sreesanth. Other two prominent IPL players — Ajit Chandila and Ankeet Chavan — who were out on bail, were also discharged in the case in which six persons, including mafia don Dawood Ibrahim and his aide Chhota Shakeel, were declared proclaimed offenders. “All are discharged (from the case),” additional sessions judge Neena Bansal Krishna said while pronouncing the order. The three cricketers, though, will have to bide their time before they can return to the field. Despite Saturday’s order, the Indian cricket board said it will stick to its bans on the trio. “Any disciplinary proceeding or decision taken by the BCCI is independent of any criminal proceeding and has no bearing. The decisions of the BCCI, based on its indepe-ndent disciplinary action, shall remain unaltered,” the cricket board said. Sreesanth and Chavan are currently serving life bans imposed by the BCCI, while Chandila’s hearing is still on. Sreesanth, 32, broke down on hearing the order while the other accused, including the players, present in the courtroom hugged each other. Sreesanth said, “I want my daughter to know me as a cricketer and not a terrorist when she Googles my name. She is three months old. When she grows up and Googles my name, I want her to know me as a cricketer and not a terrorist.” Saying that at last justice has been done, the cricketer said, “God willing, I will be able to return to cricket. I have no regrets, no complaints.” The special cell of the Delhi police had named 42 accused in the case in its chargesheet, out of whom six are absconding. The court had granted bail to Sreesanth, Chavan and other accused for lack of evidence against them under the provisions of the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act. Other accused, including Chandila, were also granted bail later. The police had claimed in its chargesheet that Dawood and Shakeel, who have been “controlling the fixing and betting market” in cricket in India, were behind the IPL spot-fixing. Source: The Asian Age
