More than two and a half years since he was suspended by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) following his arrest in the 2013 IPL spot-fixing scandal, the Board has banned former Rajasthan Royals spinner Ajit Chandila for life.
It also expelled Mumbai batsman Hiken Shah for five years for having been found guilty of making a corrupt approach to a Mumbai teammate.
The three-member BCCI disciplinary committee, including president Shashank Manohar, former secretary Niranjan Shah and Jyotiraditya Scindia, pronounced the verdict after deliberating on the detailed responses filed by both the cricketers.
Chandila was found “guilty of misconduct and corruption” having violated seven articles of the BCCI’s anti-corruption code. Shah was punished for breaching three clauses, the BCCI said.
Chandila, along with India bowler S. Sreesanth and Mumbai spinner Ankeet Chavan, was arrested by the Delhi Police in May 2013 for allegedly indulging in spot-fixing while representing Rajasthan Royals. The other two bowlers were handed life bans in September 2013. Chandila’s disciplinary hearing was delayed.
Chandila to seek review
The criminal charges against Ajit Chandila — and two of his former Rajasthan Royals teammates S. Sreesanth and Ankeet Chavan — may have been dropped by a trial court in Delhi in July, 2015. However, it had no bearing over the BCCI disciplinary committee’s decision to impose a life ban on Chandila for his breach of the BCCI anti-corruption code.
In fact, it is understood that the order passed by the trial court in July last year had specified that the court wouldn’t interfere in BCCI’s internal process.
“The Anti Corruption Code also covers disclosing inside information to any person before the match or event where the participant might receive or know that disclosure of such information in such circumstances can be used in relation to betting,” stated the order passed by judge Neena Bansal Krishna, which was submitted to the BCCI disciplinary committee by Chandila.
“The offence of match-fixing and betting and the incidental conduct of the players/bookies in furtherance of these activities is thus, covered under the Anti Corruption Code of Board of Control for Cricket in India.”
Interestingly, despite the criminal charges being dropped, neither Sreesanth nor Chavan has appealed against his BCCI life ban.
Rakesh Kumar, Chandila’s lawyer, however, said they will be forced to seek legal recourse.
“The verdict is shocking, especially in the wake of the court dropping all the charges against Ajit,” Kumar told The Hindu . “We will request a review of its order to the Board. If it doesn’t agree, then we will have to consider legal recourse.”
Mumbai cricketer Hiken Shah, banned for five years for violating the BCCI ant-corruption code, preferred to not make any statement in haste.
Shah has been found guilty of offering a bribe to Mumbai teammate Pravin Tambe, who was also a member of Rajasthan Royals.
Meanwhile, the BCCI has extended the deadline for Pakistan umpire Asad Rauf to submit his written reply to February 9.
The date of the hearing and the final order has been scheduled for February 12, 2016 at Cricket Centre, Mumbai.
