IPL Spot Fixing Case : Charges Dropped Against Srisanth, Chandila and Chavan , Delhi Court Announces that Discharges Srisanth,Chandila,Chavan From IPL Spot Fixing.
IPL Spot Fixing Case : Charges Dropped Against Srisanth, Chandila and Chavan :
Charges against Sreesanth, Ankeet Chavan and Ajit Chandila, who had been chargesheeted for the IPL 2013 corruption scandal, were dropped by a trial court in Delhi on Saturday. The court’s decision, however, did not have an impact on the life bans imposed by the BCCI on Sreesanth and Chavan. The three were among 42 individuals acquitted by the court on grounds of lack of sufficient evidence for prosecution under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA).
The three cricketers were arrested in May-June 2013 for their alleged involvement in betting and spot-fixing during the IPL. While Sreesanth and Chavan were granted bail within a month, Chandila had to spend more than three months in prison before he was released on bail. The BCCI banned Sreesanth and Chavan in September 2013, while Chandila’s case is pending before the board’s disciplinary committee.
“All are discharged (from the case),” Additional Sessions Judge Neena Bansal Krishna said while pronouncing the order. The case was today put for order on framing of charges against the 36 accused persons who were on bail.
Sreesanth, 32, broke down on hearing the order while the other accused including the players present in the courtroom started hugging each other.
Talking to PTI, Sreesanth said at last justice has been done to him, adding, “God willing, I will be able to return to cricket. I have no regrets, no complaints.”
The court had on May 23 reserved for today the order on framing of charges in the case.
Special Cell of Delhi Police had named 42 accused in the case in its charge sheet out of whom six are absconding.
Police had told the court that properties of Dawood and Shakeel in Mumbai have already been attached in connection with the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts case and that they have not visited India since 1993.
Police had informed the court that Dawood had properties in his name at Dongri in Mumbai whereas Shakeel owned properties in Nagpada there.
The police had filed a 6,000-page charge sheet against various accused in the case. It had also filed supplementary charge sheet later on.
The court had granted bail to Sreesanth, Chavan and other accused for lack of evidence against them under the provisions of stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA).
Other accused, including Chandila, were also granted bail later on by the court.
The police, in its charge sheet, had claimed that Dawood and Shakeel, who have been “controlling the fixing and betting market” in cricket in India, were behind IPL spot-fixing.
PTI