IPS officer seeks SIT probe into match-fixing scam

“I was suspended to save influential people”

Suspended IPS officer G. Sampath Kumar on Friday filed an application in the Supreme Court, urging it to appoint a Special Investigation Team to probe the involvement of top officials of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and some players in the betting and spot-fixing scam during IPL-6.

Mr. Kumar was part of the investigation conducted earlier by the Crime Branch CID, Chennai, into the match-fixing scandal. He was later shunted out of the probe and suspended. Mr. Kumar, who filed the application through advocate Vipin Nair, alleged that the Chennai police had not conducted the probe in a free and fair manner.

Mr. Kumar said he went to the “root” of the scam and added a new dimension to the probe by bringing to light the involvement of the BCCI brass and certain players. “However, due to hectic lobbying by the people behind the scam, the applicant has been proceeded against in order to let the influential people off the hook,” he said.

The IPS officer said he came to know about the match-fixing scandal when he was interrogating Uttam Jain alias Kitty during a fake passport racket probe. “During his deposition before the Justice Mudgal Probe Committee, strong evidence was produced against influential people involved in the scam. Nilay Dutta, member of the Mudgal committee, in his concurring report submitted on February 10, concluded that the new CB-CID team had tried to cover up the entire scam,” Mr. Kumar said.

“A lobby worked hard with people in power and suspended me without assigning any reason. The entire investigating team was transferred to hamper and delay the probe,” he said.

A Bench of Justices A.K. Patnaik and J.S. Khehar posted the BCCI’s application seeking copies of the transcripts of the recordings made by the probe panel for hearing on April 16. Senior counsel for the BCCI said the transcripts were essential for him to make submissions.

However, counsel for the secretary of the probe panel said the committee had not submitted the recordings and transcripts to the court and only minutes of the meetings were placed in a sealed cover.

The Bench then said it would hear the application along with the main appeal on April 16.