The Board of Control for Cricket in India filed an affidavit containing evidence on former Indian cricket skipper Mohammad Azharuddin's alleged involvement in the match-fixing scandal in a Hyderabad court, on Monday.
When Azharuddin's main suit challenging the life ban imposed on him by the BCCI came up for hearing, Ms M Vijayalaxmi, second additional chief judge, city civil court, appointed an advocate commissioner to cross-examine BCCI executive secretary Sharad Diwadkar, who flew in to Hyderabad from Mumbai.
Ms G Neeraja, the advocate commissioner, will record Diwadkar's statement on the evidence against Azhar on Tuesday. Diwadkar will thereafter be cross-examined by Azharuddin's counsel. The advocate commissioner will submit her report to the judge on Wednesday.
BCCI counsel A Venkatesh filed BCCI's affidavit along with an application calling for the Central Bureau of Investigation report relating to the match-fixing scandal. The BCCI official was present in the court, following a direction of the judge during the last hearing.
On February 10, BCCI's counsel sought more time to produce evidence of Azharuddin's alleged involvement in the scandal on the ground that BCCI officials were away in South Africa in connection with the ongoing World Cup.
It may be recalled that Azharuddin had appeared before the court and was cross-examined by BCCI's counsel earlier this month. The former skipper alleged that the BCCI gave him a raw deal and investigators, who probed the match-fixing scandal, did not give him a chance to clarify his stand.
The match-fixing scandal broke out in April 2000. After a six-month probe, the CBI had charged five cricketers, including Azharuddin, of throwing away matches. The BCCI then banned Azharuddin for life. In January 2001, Azharuddin filed a suit in the Hyderabad civil court, challenging the BCCI's action.
