Scandal Sheet
Anant Gaundalkar
The Justice Y V Chandrachud commission of inquiry, instituted by the Board of Control for Cricket in India to go into allegations of betting, match-fixing and bribery in Indian cricket, is expected to submit its report in a fortnight.
On Friday, October 17, Justice Chandrachud -- who has already met in this connection a galaxy of Indian Test stars both past and present -- met eight journalists of various publications. And, at the end of the day, announced that he had completed his inquiry into the allegations.
Aniruddha Bahl, who along with Krishna Prasad (who has already deposed before the commission) wrote the original article in Outlook magazine that started the ball rolling was first on the list for the day, while the likes of R Mohan, The Hindu cricketwriter whom Outlook accused of being somewhat intimate with bookmakers, and L P Sahi of The Telegraph also testified before the judge.
"I have no complaints with the way the enquiry has proceeded," the former Supreme Court chief justice told Rediff On The NeT, when contacted at his home on Friday morning. Justice Chandrachud, however, preferred not to answer specific questions about the course of his enquiry, pointing out that to do so would violate the operative principles of such commissions. "You will have to wait for my report," he said.
Asked whether the report would be made public, Justice Chandrachud indicated that he had, in fact, made it a condition of his taking on the assignment. "I had, before accepting the commission, clearly specified that the report would have to be a public document, in order to remove fears of this being some kind of cover-up operation," he said.
In the evening, Justice Chandrachud indicated that he had heard as many people as he required, and that he was now ready to begin writing his report. He added that he had missed out on Indian cricket manager Madan Lal due to unavailability, but might get to meet him in Delhi next week. If, however, Madan Lal continues to be unavailable, the Justice said, then today's meeting with journalists can be considered to have brought the curtain down on his inquiry.
Speaking to the media, the former Supreme Court Chief Justice refused to go into details, but gave a strong hint that if his report leads to a 'not guilty' verdict against Indian cricket, then it would also provide prima facie grounds for taking legal action against Manoj Prabhakar, who triggered it all off with his allegations aired in Outlook in May this year. "The charge can be of bringing the game into disrepute," Justice Chandrachud said.
He told the media that he had collected voluminous evidence from the people who had been summoned before the commission, and hinted that he had got nothing that could conclusively establish the presence of bribery in Indian cricket. "Betting," Justice Chandrachud said, "is a widespread phenomenon worldwide, but my job was to concentrate on the questions of matchfixing and bribery."
Praising the cricketers who had appeared before him, Justice Chandrachud said that as a judge, he had seen more than his share of dubious characters in his courts. "But the men who appeared before me in course of this enquiry were all men of honour," he said.
Asked whether he had looked at the recent instance in which a leading Calcutta bookie had been arrested by the police during the Sahara Cup fixtures in Toronto last month, Justice Chandrachud said that it would have served no purpose. "Unless and until there is evidence of involvement of cricketers themselves, I am not concerned," the judge said, pointing out that his brief was not to make out a case against bookmakers, but to examine whether cricketers themselves were engaging in nefarious practises.
Admitting that a police officer from Calcutta had called him and sought an audience, which he had turned down, Justice Chandrachud said the caller had refused to give his name or identity.
The Justice is expected to complete his report in time for tabling at the BCCI annual general body meeting in Madras on November 6.
Meanwhile, in a bid to put the issue in perspective, we present in chronological order a recap of various incidents that have, over the years, given rise to speculation about betting in sub-continent cricket.
January 30, 1980: Pakistan were 272 for 4 at the end of the second day's play against India, in the sixth and final Test of the series at Calcutta. Earlier, India had made 331. That night, there was heavy betting on whether or not Pakistan would cross India's total. Asif Iqbal, in fact, declared the Pakistan innings closed at 331 -- the identical score as India's. And those who had betted heavily on Pakistan bettering India's first innings total lost a packet.
November 4, 1987: In the semifinals of the Reliance World Cup, Pakistan lost to Australia. Subsequently, fast bowler Sarfaraz Nawaz accused Javed Miandad of having deliberately played below par, and of having entered into an agreement with Sheikh Abdul Rehman Bukhatir, bossman of cricket in Sharjah, to ensure Pakistan's defeat.
September 15 to 16, 1994: The Singer World Series was being played in Sri Lanka, and intense interest surrounded the India-Pakistan fixture. Manoj Prabhakar, in an interview to Outlook in June 1997, alleged that on the evening before the game, he was offered Rs 2.5 million by a team-mate to play below par. In the event, rain washed out the game -- but Prabhakar's allegation, earlier this year, was among the catalysts responsible for the appointment of the Justice Chandrachud commission. Pakistan opener Aamir Sohail, meanwhile, alleged earlier this year that during this series, several members of the Pakistan side had been bribed to play at below par, leading to the team's losses against Australia (by 28 runs) and Sri Lanka (by seven wickets).
September 28 to October 2, 1994: Shane Warne and Tim May alleged, in 1996, that during the Karachi Test between Australia and Pakistan played out during these days, then captain Salim Malik offered them Rs 7 million apiece to perform below par. In the event, Pakistan won by one wicket.
October 22, 1994: Pakistan won its game against Australia, in the Wills Triangular Series at Rawalpindi, by nine wickets. In early 1996, Warne, May and Mark Waugh alleged that Salim Malik approached them with bribes to play badly and throw the game in the home team's favour.
October 30, 1994: In the Kanpur one day international against the West Indies, India needed 63 to win, with five wickets in hand and 43 deliveries to come. Manoj Prabhakar and Nayan Mongia stonewalled, in a display of defensive batting that saw them being dropped from the side for disciplinary reasons.
January 31 to February 4, 1995: Pakistan went down, in sensational fashion, to Zimbabwe in the Harare Test. Prior to the game, Zimbabwe were quoted at 40-1 against, but went on to win by an innings and 64 runs, inside four days. Pakistan players Basit Ali and Rashid Latif promptly announced their retirement, saying that "things were going on in the Pakistan side" that they wanted no part of.
February 16, 1995: India took on New Zealand in an ODI at Napier, as part of the latter country's centenary celebrations -- and lost by four wickets. Last year, a police sub-inspector in Bombay claimed that before, and during the game, a prominent bookmaker based in the metrop had been in telephonic contact with Indian players and officials at the venue, and offered to produce tape recordings and other evidence in support of this contention.
March 9, 1996: For the Wills World Cup quarterfinal against India, Pakistan skipper Wasim Akram announced on the morning of the match that he was resting himself because of a shoulder injury. However, the fact that Akram would not be playing was common knowledge in sections of the media 48 hours before the event -- and the media cited bookmakers as the source of their information.
September 1, 1996: Pakistan wicketkeeper Rashid Latif scored a match-winning 31 not out in just 28 balls to help his side beat England in the last game of the ODI series, at Nottingham. The win avoided a clean sweep by England. Latif was later axed from the side -- and went on to accuse members of the Pakistan side of having been bribed to ensure a whitewash.
May 18, 1997: Following an article in Outlook alleging match-fixing and bribery in Indian cricket, the Board of Control for Cricket in India appoints former Supreme Court chief justice Y V Chandrachud to probe the allegation. The likes of Sunil Gavaskar, Kapil Dev, Mohammad Azharuddin, Sachin Tendulkar, Nayan Mongia, Ajay Jadeja, Ravi Shastri and others have been interviewed by the judge who is expected to submit his report this fortnight. It will then be tabled during the BCCI AGM, scheduled in Madras on November 6.
September 20, 1997: Nayan Mongia is dropped from the side for the Sahara Cup in Toronto and the Wills Challenge in Pakistan. And, in media interviews, threatens to "reveal all at the appropriate time" -- a ticking time bomb for the future.
September 23, 1997: During the Sahara Cup in Toronto, Calcutta police arrest a prominent bookmaker based in the metro, and recover files and other evidence which, they say, implicates several cricketers and officials.
September 27, 1997: Pakistan skipper Rameez Raja and seasoned campaigner Salim Malik are dropped from the squad. Haroon Rashid, the team manager, indicates in an interview that the two were found to be too friendly with the Indian side, in Toronto.
EARLIER REPORTS:
The Betting Scandal
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