Sachin Tendulkar may have invited criticism for skirting the match-fixing issue that rocked Indian cricket in 2000 in his autobiography but eminent lawyers on Friday backed the icon saying it was the “prerogative of a celebrity like him to express himself in a manner he deems fit”.
Though he made fleeting references to the fixing scandals, Tendulkar did not offer much light on one of the darkest periods in Indian cricket, in the process attracting criticism from certain quarters.
Eminent lawyer Majeed Memon though thinks otherwise.
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“When a celebrity of the stature of Tendulkar sits to pen down his experience and the ups and downs in his career, we should not expect him to write about things we want to know...
It is his prerogative and privilege to express himself in the manner he deems fit,” Mr. Memon said.
Mr. Memon said that it will not be fair to attribute motives just because Tendulkar has not written on the match-fixing issue.
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“In these circumstances, if he has chosen not to say anything on match fixing controversies, no motive can be attributed to him.
“Moreover, the criminal investigation and trial in match fixing cases are pending. It is desirable that one should abstain from commenting on it which Sachin has chosen to do,” he said.
Another well-known lawyer, Ramakant Reddy, said lack of evidence was the main barrier in Tendulkar not mentioning anything about match-fixing in his autobiography Playing It My Way.
“The main reason for Sachin not writing about fixing is that there is no evidence at all. Even the Government of India at that point of time examined the CBI report and found that there is no evidence.
“The government also obtained opinions from senior advocates in Delhi who opined that there was no evidence to proceed against people with allegations. CBI absolved the accused and this was a barrier. Also, this whole issue was put to rest 14 years ago to be precise,” Mr. Reddy said.