The constant scrutiny by the media and the attention of the entire cricket crazy nation notwithstanding, the Board of Control for Cricket in India's Inquiry Commissioner appointed to probe the Abhijit Kale controversy, on Friday said he was not under pressure on the eve of a crucial hearing of the case.
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"Cricket is a religion in India. So, this sort of controversy concerning corruption in selection of the national team is bound to generate a lot of interest," said the 71-year-old Subba Rao, also a former mayor of the steel city.
The allegations by two selectors Pranab Roy and Kiran More that Maharashtra batsman Kale had offered them bribes for a place in the Indian team to Australia rocked the nation last week, forcing the BCCI to appoint Rao as the inquiry commissioner.
The inquiry reaches a crucial stage on Saturday, with Rao summoning the two selectors as also Kale for a hearing.
Rao, however, felt that the people had a wrong perception of the nature of his inquiry. "They feel that this is the final round of inquiry. But this is not correct. On the contrary, this is only a preliminary inquiry to ascertain whether there is a prima-facie case of corruption."
"I don't have any power to recommend any punishment against anybody. My brief is to report to the BCCI whether there is a prima facie case for corruption.
"If there is really any, then it is for the BCCI to constitute an independent probe into it through its disciplinary committee," said Rao, who was president of the Andhra Cricket Association for 12 years till he stepped down in mid-2003.
Rao said he had sought a written explanation from Kale on the allegations against him and also asked the two selectors to send details about their complaint.
"More and Roy have sent the documents through faxes, but till this afternoon I have not received anything from Kale."
Rao, a talented cricketer in his young days, also said that he was decide on the way the hearing would be conducted.
"It is a normal practice to have one-to-ones with the parties involved. But since this issue has generated so much interest, I'll decide the nature of the hearing once I begin the process," he said.
Asked whether he would like to pit Kale face-to-face with the selectors, he said "only tomorrow I can tell this. As of now, nothing is finalised".
Rao also strongly supported BCCI's decision to suspend Kale pending completion of the inquiry and the subsequent decision of the disciplinary committee.
"Suspension per se cannot be indicative of any guilt. It is a normal practice to suspend an individual against whom some allegations have been made, pending inquiry," he said.
However, Rao refused to be drawn into any discussion on whether the Board should have taken similar action against the two selectors. "I don't want to go into all this. Please spare me," he said.
He also did not believe that the controversy would tarnish the image of BCCI and that of India in the cricketing world.
"It will not have any reflection on India's image. Cricket is a very popular game. Lot of money is being pumped into it nowadays. So, controversies like this may come up. After all, there has been a decadence of values in sphere of life in recent times," he added.
