Harbhajan Singh's appeal against a three-Test ban for racial abuse got underway in an Adelaide court on Tuesday morning. New Zealand High Court judge John Hansen, the ICC-appointed commissioner, is hearing the appeal.
Harbhajan was slapped with a three-match ban by match referee Mike Procter after the Sydney Test for allegedly racially abusing Andrew Symonds.
Harbhajan arrived along with Team India media manager M V Sridhar and entered the court without making any comment to the waiting media outside.
Sachin Tendulkar arrived soon after, dropped off by Cricket Australia chairman Creagh O'Connor.
Australia's key witnesses Symonds, Michael Clarke, Matthew Hayden and captain Ricky Ponting arrived later through a rear entrance.
The Harbhajan controversy took a new twist on Monday with Hansen saying that "additional evidence" could be admissible in the hearing.
"There may be some additional evidence, such as the transcript available from the stump microphone, which was not available to Mr (Mike) Procter," stated Justice Hansen, while outlining the procedures he would be adopting on the hearing over the next two days.
This has given a new twist to the whole saga with now the possibility of some evidence being available to the commissioner which could put Harbhajan and Tendulkar, who was batting with the former at the time of the incident, in dock.
