Hearing in cricket match fixing case to begin on January 18

A Delhi court has scheduled to hear arguments on charge in the cricket match fixing case of 2000 in which the then South African captain, late Hansie Cronje, is an accused. But the court has abated the prosecution proceedings against him following his death in an air crash in 2002.

Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Sanjay Khanagwal fixed January 18 as the date to begin hearing arguments on the charge. “Accused Hansie Cronje is stated to have expired in an air crash on June 1, 2002, and the proceedings against him have been abated vide order dated July 23, 2013. Copies of documents have been supplied to the accused persons in the form of hard disk. Put up… for consideration of charge on January 18, 2016,’’ the Magistrate said in its order.

The Delhi Police’s Crime Branch had charge-sheeted six persons - Cronje, Rajesh Kalra, Sunil Dara, Kishan Kumar, Sanjeev Chawla and Manmohan Khattar - in the case in 2013, alleging that Cronje had been paid Rs. 1.2. crore in two instalments for fixing matches during the India-South Africa one-day series here in February-March in 2000. Kishan Kumar is the brother of the T-series music company promoter, late Gulshan Kumar. They were charge-sheeted for offences of criminal conspiracy and cheating. Kalra, Sunil and Kumar are on bail.

As regards Chawla and Khattar, the court had some time back issued open non-bailable warrants against them when the police informed it that they are residents of the U.K. and the U.S.A. respectively and hiding there. The police have stated in the charge sheet Herschelle Gibbs had admitted before the King Commission of Inquiry set up in South Africa to probe the charges of match fixing that he was offered money by Cronje to underperform while Nicky Boje denied his involvement.

The police further alleged that Gibbs had told the commission that Cronje had offered him money for scoring less than 20 runs in a match. But the investigating agency has not charge-sheeted these two players in the case.

Referring to the commission’s report, the police said it was revealed that money changed hands and went to Cronje for fixing matches in the series. Kishan Kumar had told the investigator that Chawla had paid Rs. 1.2 crore to Cronje in two instalments of Rs. 60 lakh each for fixing the matches, the charge sheet alleged. Chawla had played the most vital role in the commission of the crime. He shifted to London in March, 2000, and never came back, the police alleged.