Charges constitute core of the case: Azhar

Former captain Mohammad Azharuddin, challenging the life ban imposed on him by the Board of Control for Cricket in India for his alleged involvement in the match-fixing scandal, on Wednesday said his charges against former BCCI president Dr A C Muthiah and the BCCI inquiry commissioner K Madhavan cannot be sought to be withdrawn as they constitute 'the core of the case'.

Azhar's senior counsel T Jagdeesh, during prolonged arguments in the Hyderabad city civil court on the writ petitions filed by Muthiah and Madhavan, seeking striking down of certain averments in the main petition filed by the former captain, said Azhar's charges against the duo constitute essential elements of the case and cannot sought to be struck down.

Reiterating that the method of the inquiry comissioner was 'malicious, illegal and arbitrary and biased in favour of BCCI', he said the case ceases to exist if these charges were asked to be withdrawn by Muthiah and Madhavan, both defendants in the case.

Azhar also questioned the competence of Muthiah, saying, "He (Muthiah) being an industrialist suffers from lack of experience or knowledge of the game."

Earlier, Ramesh Ranganathan, Sanjay Sinha and Suryanarayana, appearing on behalf of the defendants, said the charges levelled by Azhar against the two are 'scandalous, vexatious and irrelevant' and sought their deletion from the plaint first.

Second additional judge J Shyamsundara Rao, who heard the arguments from both sides, reserved his order for October 17.

Mail Cricket Editor