IPL spot-fixing Live: Meiyappan in court today, Srinivasan says he’s not going
by Ashish Magotra May 25, 2013
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![Sreesanth being produced at Saket court today. Naresh Sharma/ Firstpost]()
![Sreesanth's lawyers will attempt to get bail for their client. BCCI]()
10: 15 am: Ahmedabad Crime Branch arrests bookie
The Ahmedabad Crime Branch has arrested a bookie with alleged links to the illegal betting ookie racket and has seized Rs 1.28 crore and other equipment from him, CNN-IBN reported
The role of the bookie, Vinod Mulchandani, is exactly clear right now, but given the crackdown on bookies across the country the arrest doesn’t come as a surprise.
08: 30 am: Meiyappan to be produced before court, Srinivasan says he won’t go
Meiyappan, who was dramatically arrested last night is to be produced before a Mumbai court today where the police is likely to seek his custody in order to interrogate him with Vindu Dara Singh.
However, father-in-law and BCCI chief N Srinivasan, apart from allegedly threatening to “fix” a journalist, has said that he has no intention of leaving the BCCI chief’s post just yet.
“There is no controversy. As for my resignation, why, there is no need. I will not resign,” he is quoted as telling the Mumbai Mirror in an interview last evening.
He also claimed he had no knowledge of what his son-in-law was up to and whether he had done anything wrong.
“If anyone has done anything wrong then I will not spare them,” Srinivasan said.
What this means for Meiyappan isn’t very clear given he’s still an honorary member of theChennai Super Kings.
However, later in the night when he was called by Headlines Today for a statement, this is what an angry BCCI president had to say:
01. 45 am: Arun Jaitley refuses to react on Meiyappan arrest
While the drama of IPL spot-fixing has continued well into the night, Arun Jaitley has stayed away from making any comments on the late night arrest of Gurunath Meiyappan.
“Why should I comment on Meiyappan’s arrest?” CNN-IBN quoted Jaitley as saying.
01.40 am: Meiyappan asked more than 100 questions, may face same charges as Vindoo
CNN-IBN is reporting that Meiyappan was asked more than a hundred questions, and the word is that he may be facing the same charges as Vindoo Dara Singh. However, the crime branch has not confirmed the charges against him.
01.19 am: BCCI top brass want Arun Jaitley as chief
Meanwhile, BCCI sources have told CNN-IBN that the top brass in the cricket body wants Arun Jaitley to take over as the BCCI chief
But N Srinivasan has reportedly told the news channel that he is not resigning.
00. 13 am: Meiyappan arrested by Mumbai crime branch
The Mumbai Crime Branch have arrested BCCI chief N Srinivasan’s son-in-law Gurunath Meiyappan after questioning.
Mumbai Joint commissioner Himanshu Roy said, “We have interrogated Mr Gurunath. We have gone through questioning with him in detail and after due deliberation we have come to the conclusion that there is evidence of his involvement in the offense we are investigating.
“And therefore he has been placed under arrest and will be produced before a court within 24 hours as per the law.”
However, Roy did not specify the specific charges against Meiyappan. According to CNN-IBN, there are nine charges that pertain to the case, including sections 4 and 5 of the Gambling Act, as well as cheating forgery and fraud. The police will need to specify the specific charges against Meiyappan when they produce him in court.
Meiyappan’s lawyer PS Raman said: “We are exploring all legal possibilities. We are waiting for the remand report before reading the charges against him.”
21.13 pm Meiyappan, Vindoo may be questioned together
CNN-IBN Mumbai bureau chief Smitha Nair quoted sources as saying that at the moment top crime branch officials are interrogating Gurunath Meiyappan and the process may continue well into the night.
CNN-IBN sources also allegedly said that Vindoo Dara Singh may be brought in to be questioned along with Meiyappan.
21. 02 pm: Meiyappan reaches Mumbai crime branch
Gurunath Meiyappan has at last reached the Mumbai crime branch.
CNN-IBN reports say that he has been taken to Joint Commissioner of police Himnashu Roy’s room for a briefing before being questioned. It is still not clear whether Roy will himself question Meiyappan.
Also, Bharat Raman, the gentleman accompanying Meiyappan is the brother of PS Raman, a senior lawyer who is close to the DMK. He was the advocate general of Tamil Nadu during the DMK regime and had appeared for Kamal Haasan’s Vishwaroopam case, said CNN-IBN.
20. 05 pm: M Gurunath being taken to crime branch by Mumbai police
Finally! After almost 45 minutes of wait M Gurunath is seen walking out from the Mumbai airport accompanied by police officials. He is now being taken to the crime branch.
20.00 pm: Meiyappan has not been detained, say police
It’s been more than half an hour that Meiyappan landed at the Mumbai airport, but there’s still no sight of him. Police are reportedly inside the airport with Meiyappan and says they will escort him to the crime branch.
“Gurunath Meiyappan will be quizzed on betting, spot-fixing and passing on information,” Mumbai police told CNN-IBN. However, police have confirmed that they have not detained Meiyappan.
CNN-IBN correspondent Smitha Nair quotes Mumbai police as saying “Gurunath Meiyappan is the key link.”
19. 19 pm: Meiyappan reaches Mumbai airport
The crime branch that has been waiting for CSK boss Meiyappan will take him to the crime branch office. Reports say he is likely to be arrested as they have enough evidence against him.
Senior police officers will interrogate Gurunath Meiyappan tonight.
18. 44 pm: Meiyappan to be arrested?
The crime branch team has reached Mumbai airport and reports say they are likely to arrest Meiyappan from there where his plane is about to land.
17:45 pm: Voila! Gurunath Meiyappan’s Twitter profile undergoes quick makeover
Gurunath Meiyappan’s Twitter profile has undergone a quick makeover and now reflects his designation within the team. The first image is the original Twitter profile and the second image is the updated profile:
17:30 pm: Roy says Srinivasan should quit
“If I am betting or even my son is betting, it is wrong. We can make teams win or lose if we want,” Roy said, adding however that the police would decide the guilt of Meiyappan.
He also denied any knowledge of any betting in the T20 league or the paying of black money to players by teams to hold on to them.
“Black money is something Sahara does not believe in it,” Roy said, adding that his company only worked in legitimate businesses.
He also sought that sports bodies be improved across the country.
Roy said that Sahara had a great relation with the BCCI until Srinivasan took over.
17: 25 pm: Roy says Srinivasan has conflict of interest, says his problem only with BCCI chief and not the organisation
“There should be minimum culture…” Roy said, adding ”This way one cannot be with anybody.”
He also protested the manner in which the BCCI had taken the bank guarantees submitted from the IPL after the last league match that the Pune team played.
When asked if his problem was only with N Srinivasan, Roy said,”I have only a problem with him.”
Roy also raised questions about how Srinivasan could be the head of the disciplinary committee while owning a team playing in the IPL.
“With this system, we have had a bad feeling all along. We are treated like we are nothing in cricket,” Roy said.
He said he didn’t know what other franchise owners thought of Srinivasan, but they had expressed the sentiment that they were unhappy with the BCCI.
17: 20 pm: Subrata Roy blames BCCI and N Srinivasan for leaving IPL
Describing the sequence of events as “sad, irritating and disgusting” Sahara chief Subrata Roy painted a sorry picture of himself and blamed the BCCI for the Pune Warriors backing out of the IPL.
“In the last 13-14 years we enjoyed harmony with the BCCI till Mr Shashank Manohar was there…After that it is so disgusting,” Roy told Times Now.
“A sports body should have a sportsman spirit and should not be egoistic,” he said.
Roy wrote to the president but didn’t even get an acknowledgement. he also spoke of a telephone conversation where he said the BCCI chief fobbed him off saying he was busy with his grandchild.
Roy said he had been advised to withdraw from the IPL after the tournament began but had chosen not to do so and spoke to the IPL commissioner Rajiv Shukla about it.
16:45 pm: CSK disowns Meiyappan, says he’s neither CEO or owner
Ahead of his appearance before the Mumbai crime branch the Chennai Super Kings has issued a statement stating that he is neither the CEO or the owner of the team.
In a brief statement, the company said:
India Cements clarifies that Mr. Gurunath Meiyappan is neither the Owner, nor CEO / Team Principal of Chennai Super Kings. Mr. Gurunath is only one of the Members (Honorary) of the Management Team of Chennai Super Kings.
India Cements follows zero tolerance policy and if anyone is proved guilty, strict action will be taken immediately. India Cements assures full co-operation with BCCI and the Law Enforcement authorities.
Curiously enough Meiyappan was the Team Principal of the Chennai Super Kings until the beginning of the season and even he seems to be unaware of the fact that he has been demoted. His profile on Twitter still reflects his original status :
Team Principal Chennai Super Kings,managing director AVM productions and entertainment,AVM studios,AVM constructions.
Here’s a screengrab:
It isn’t clear if this change in profile was effected during the Kodaikanal trip he made earlier today. If Meiyappan were to be arrested it could mean that the Chennai Super Kings could face elimination from the IPL finals. However, if he is not the team prinicipal he wasn’t aware of it when he gave interviews this year.
16: 25 pm: NCP wants N Srinivasan to quit immediately
The NCP has condemned N Srinivasan’s insistence on staying on as the cricket board chief and demanded that he step down immediately
“If he has an iota of honesty he should step down immediately,” the party has said, reportedCNN-IBN.
And just in case you’re wondering why the NCP is so outraged, remember that party chiefSharad Pawar was edged out by Srinivasan and might just have decided its payback time.
RJD’s Lalu Prasad Yadav has also joined in the chorus and has demanded the strongest possible action against those guilty of betting and spot-fixing.
“It is a game of money and because of it the nation’s name is being sullied,” Lalu observed, demanding the strongest possible action.
15:50 pm: Vindoo taken to court
Vindoo Dara Singh has been taken to a Mumbai metropolitan magistrate’s court and the police is to seek an additional four days of custody, reported Times Now.
One reason that is likely to be stated is that the police might confront Chennai Super Kings chief Gurunath Meiyappan with the actor, but whether the court will grant custody remains to be seen.
Remember, the six bookies who were arrested in the case were sent to judicial custody after the court said that the police failed to present adequate evidence
15:36 pm: Meiyappan always had links with bookies, reveals Srinivasan’s son Ashwin
Ashwin (Srinivasan’s son), 44, minces no words while disclosing his brother-in-law’s alleged involvement in betting and spot-fixing.
“Guru (he addresses Meiyappan that way) had several connections with known bookies from Chennai and Dubai and was regularly in touch with them even before the IPL started.” he said. “What began as a relatively smaller side-business became a full-fledged one over the years.”
15:15 pm: Delhi police chief says there’s no clash with Mumbai police
The Delhi police and their counterparts in Mumbai may be arguing over the relevance of the contents of Sreesanth’s iPad and closed circuit television footage, but Delhi Police commissioner Neeraj Kumar says there’s no problem.
“There is no acrimony,” he told Times Now, adding that the was in constant touch with the Mumbai Police chief to ensure the two police forces were on the same page.
However, he clarified that the two probes are currently divergent, with the Delhi police probing spot fixing and Mumbai illegal betting, and have no common ground for now.
15:05 pm: Will N Srinivasan go if Meiyappan arrested?
According to CNN-IBN, unnamed sources have said BCCI chief N Srinivasan will step down if his son-in-law is to be arrested today.
The channel reported that Arun Jaitley and Rajiv Shukla, who met earlier today, spoke with him following the meeting and have apprised him of the situation and sentiment among the various cricketing boards.
Chennai Super Kings may also be in trouble if Meiyappan in arrested, given the IPL’s rules states that if the head of any team is arrested the team must be disqualified, CNN-IBNreported.
However, NDTV reports that the Chennai team may scrape through a loop hole and claim that Meiyappan isn’t the owner of the team and is an employee of the team.
15:00 pm: Meiyappan to turn up with legal team in tow
Facing tough questions from the Mumbai Police, Gurunath Meiyappan is expected to be accompanied by a team of legal eagles, who will assist him in getting through the interrogation.
Writing about the Meiyappan saga Firstpost’s Venky Vembu says:
Meiyappan hasn’t been named as an accused in the case; he is only being sought for questioning in connection with the allegation made by Vindoo Dara Singh that he was punting on his team’s fortunes. And, to be abundantly clear, Meiyappan is within his legal rights to seek an alternative date for his appearance for questioning in connection with a criminal case – although that luxury isn’t always afforded to those without political or other clout.
But just the sight of Meiyappan playing hide-and-seek games with the police, when he has so much of his reputation – and that of his father-in-law – riding on clearing his name from the taint of association with the sensational scandal makes for bad – and deeply incriminating – optics.
14.06 pm: Meiyappan heads for Mumbai
Gurunath Meiyappan who was last spotted in Kodaikanal with his father-in-law BCCI president N Srinivasan, is now on his way to Mumbai, CNN-IBN reported.
It is unclear if the Chennai Super Kings CEO will be able to make it to Mumbai before his 5pm deadline ends.
The Mumbai police reportedly want him to answer questions due to his close links with Vindoo Dara Singh and asked him to appear before the city crime branch between 11am and 5pm. He asked for an extension but did not receive it.
13.26 pm: FICCI Calls for Regulating Sports Betting to Counter Spot Fixing
In the wake of latest controversies related to spot fixing case in cricket and revelations of role of underworld in leveraging ban in sports betting, FICCI has once again reinitiated its call for regulating sports betting in India.
Despite several attempts to ban it, betting is continuing albeit in an underground way and substantial resources have been invested into enforcing such a ban; Thus middle way out is it should be regulated in a way which reduces this to an acceptable level. Hence, the Government should think of legalizing and regulating betting.
India is continuing to lose billions of dollars in taxable revenue (an estimated Rs. 12-20,000 crore annually) through black marketing operations in sports betting. According to FICCI, the greatest advantage of regulating sports betting is going to be the accountability for the large amounts of money transferred through illegal channels and reduction in cases of match fixing, money laundering and crimes.
If gaming and betting is regulated in India, it will benefit exchequer and could potentially fund sports development, social protection or welfare schemes and infrastructure development plans.
13.13 pm: Meiyappan in Kodaikanal with Srinivasan
TV Channels flashing images of Meiyappan in Kodaikanal with Srinivasan. We already knew that Srinivasan was there but now the son-in-law has also been spotted there.
The Mumbai Police had told Meiyappan to appear before the crime branch latest by 5.00 pm. It will be difficult for Meiyappan to make it.
12.09 pm: BCCI top brass in a huddle
Arun Jaitley, Rajeev Shukla met Law Minister Kapil Sibal. They will also be meeting the Sports Minister. Srinivasan, meanwhile, is said to be chilling in Kodaikanal.
Shukla said: “We told Mr Sibal that we need a strong law in place to control match fixing. We want a law enacted as quickly as possible.”
11.45 am: Pepsi says they have not sent any communication to BCCI
Pepsi has issued a statement saying that they will not be pulling out of the IPL, as reported by some sections of the media.
“The stories in a certain section of the media today, on PepsiCo regarding IPL, are speculative in nature. As a company policy we do not comment on speculation. PepsiCo has not sent any communication to BCCI as referred in a certain section of the media”, the company said.
11.18 am: No extension for Meiyappan
Chennai Super Kings boss Gurunath Meiyappan who reportedly asked for more time to appear before the Mumbai crime branch, is unlikely to get an extension, CNN-IBN reported.
Meiyappan was issued with a summons to appear before the Mumbai crime branch between 11am and 5pm today, as he was not at home to answer questions by a Mumbai police team who went to his Chennai residence on Thursday.
Meiyappan had reportedly asked for more time, but CNN-IBN quoted Mumbai police sources as saying that they were unlikely to entertain his request.
“If we were going to grant an extension, we would not have personally delivered a summons all the way to Chennai”, Times Now, quoted Mumbai police as saying.
On Thursday it was declared that if Meiyappan failed to show up, he would be declared a fugitive.
11.11 am: Vindoo to appear in court today
Vindoo Dara Singh is due to appear in court again. The Mumbai Police are likely to ask the court to extend his custody.
Meanwhile in Delhi, three bookies are due in court today.
10.49 am: International bookie arrested
According to TV reports, an international bookie, Mohammad, has been arrested — he is thought to be one of the main links in the spot-fixing probe. He was attempting to escape to Dubai via Hyderabad.
10.44 am: The ‘sourced’ truth may not be real
Everyday, the newspapers and the TV channels are filled with stories – straight from the sources mouth – about a new revelation, an exclusive angle or a new break in the case. And everyday we wonder how true these stories are… it’s juicy, it’s sleazy but is it the truth? Will half-truths do simply because everyone else has access to them too?
Normal journalism practice dictates that a source is someone you’ve known for a while; someone whose words you have come to trust completely because of the number of times he has given you information that has been completely true and he is not named in your copy because you need to protect his identity.
But in this case, everyone seems to have the same source – for all the quotes read the same
10.27 am: Pepsi should pull out of IPL: Oh, yes, abhi!
Anant Rangaswami writes on the impact the spot-fixing scandal could have on the title sponsor Pepsi.
It’s just over six months since Pepsi stunned the advertising and marketing world in India when they bid a whopping Rs 397 crore for the honour of becoming the title sponsor of the IPL for five years, starting 2013.
When the news broke, there was only one question that was debated in the industry: would the IPL deliver the audience numbers to justify Pepsi’s investment?
10.25 am: Ex-BCCI chief Manohar feels every match in the 2013 IPL should be investigated
Shashank Manohar, the former president of the BCCI, has said that the BCCI is not equipped to investigate spot-fixing and should rely on the police to punish players as suspensions do not work.
“BCCI has no machinery to investigate”, Manohar told Business Standard. “Therefore, I reiterate that BCCI should have filed a complaint to the police on its own. Suspension of players will not work. If the player is put behind bars even for a day, it will create a fear psychosis and become a deterrent to others.”
10.13 am: Delhi police chief: Not probing Meiyappan’s role in spot-fixing
The Delhi Police chief has come out and said that 3 players and 12 bookies have been arrested. They have also said that they are not probing N Srinivasan’s son-in-law Gurunath Meiyappan’s role in the spot-fixing scandal.
We need to remember that the Delhi police is only investigation the spot-fixing scandal. The Mumbai police, which has issued a summons to Meiyappan, is looking at betting in cricket.
10.04 am: Vindoo was in touch with three CSK players
Three Chennai Super Kings players, one of them quite senior, were in touch with Vindoo Dara Singh during the ongoing T20 season, the actor, arrested in connection with the spot-fixing probe, has told investigators. “Yes, he has dropped some names, we are verifying the authenticity of his claims,” the joint commissioner of police (crime), Himanshu Roy told the Hindustan Times.
The police might question the players once they corroborate Vindoo’s claims, sources said.
9.15 am: Gurunath was betting heavily on IPL, say Mumbai police
CNN-IBN has quoted Mumbai police sources as saying that Chennai Super Kings CEO Gurunath Meiyappan was betting heavily on IPL matches since 2011, and had been placing bets between Rs 10 lakh to a crore on matches.
The Mumbai police had also reportedly said that Meiyappan had bet heavily on three CSK matches this season, and had also placed bets on other matches in the league.
Meiyappan has been issued a summons to present himself before the Mumbai crime division before 5pm on Friday. The summons came after a Mumbai police team went to Meiyappan’s Chennai residence to question him and were told that he was not at home.
Meiyappan is being probed for his close links with Vindoo Dara Singh who has been arrested in the IPL spot-fixing scam. Police have said that there were as many as 30 calls exchanged between the two in a few days.
Updates for 23 May 2013 end
8.43 pm: IPL CEO, BCCI top official in Mumbai Crime Branch
Chief Administrative Officer of BCCI Ratnakar Shetty and IPL CEO today met with Mumbai’s Crime Branch chief Himanshu Roy in connection with the IPL spot fixing scandal.
7.53 pm I-T, ED will step in after cops get concrete evidence, syas Chidu
Finance Minister P Chidambaram on Thursday said, “The police is probing IPL spot fixing and when investigations reach a concrete stage other agencies like the I-T and ED will step in.”
7.34pm: Chennai Super Kings CEO Guru Meiyappan seeks more time, to appear before Mumbai Police at 11am on Monday, reports CNN-IBN.
7.15pm: Former Pakistan cricket team captain Aamir Sohail to Times Now
Expressing disappointment over the sudden decision of the ICC to drop Asad Rauf from the Champions Trophy, former Pakistan cricket team captain Aamir Sohail told Times Now,”Have they (ICC) given any evidence? They can’t do that on mere speculation.”
The former Pakistani opener blasted the ICC vigilance team for failing to detect these wrongdoings until external agencies intervened.
“How are they (ICC) not pulling out people from the anti-corruption unit? Everything happened under their nose,” he said. “ICC is not clean. That’s why this game is suffering.”
6.55pm Pakistani umpire Asad Rauf may be called for questioning by Mumbai Police.
6.41pm: Zaka Ashraf, Chairman, Pakistan Cricket Board to Times Now
“It is not in our knowledge. I have heard it from you,” Ashraf told Times Now from Pakistan.
“Neither did he go with our permission nor is he coming back with our permission. The Pakistan Cricket Board has nothing to do with it. But if he has done anything wrong he should be punished,” he said.
Questioning the slack management in the IPL, Ashraf said,”I don’t know why things are not being tightened up in the IPL? This is something that the IPL management must seriously look into.”
The Pakistan Cricket Board chief said that the cricket board will soon meet to take steps against wrong practices by officials involved in the game.
“We are going to have a Board meeting so that to set up norms to bring all Pakistani umpires, match referees under the domain of the Pakistan Cricket Board,” he said.
However, the Pakistan Cricket Board chief said that if Asad Rauf was involved in unfair practices before he should have been allowed to participate in this version of the IPL.
“Why is he there now if he did anything wrong before?” Ashraf asked.
18.22 pm: ICC withdraws Asad Rauf from ICC Champions Trophy 2013
The International Cricket Council (ICC) today announced that it has withdrawn elite panel umpire Asad Rauf from the ICC Champions Trophy 2013 that will be staged in England and Wales from 6-23 June.
The decision has been made after media reports on Wednesday indicated that the umpire was under investigation by Mumbai Police.
Explaining the decision, ICC Chief Executive David Richardson said: “In the wake of reports that the Mumbai Police are conducting an investigation into Asad Rauf’s activities, we feel that it is in Asad’s best interests as well as those of the sport and the event itself, that he is withdrawn from participating in the ICC Champions Trophy.”
18.12 pm: Sreesanth fought with Upton?
According to the Delhi Police, When he was not included in the Rajasthan Royal team after the May nine IPL match, a drunk Sreesanth fought with coach.
18.04 pm: Was Babu Rao Yadav a double agent?
Was Babu Rao Yadav, the former Vidharbha Ranji cricketer, a double agent who dealt with the ICC ACSU and the bookies? Well, some TV reports say he was.
17.45 pm: Ajit Chandila fixed IPL 5 matches
Meanwhil, Bookie Sunil Bhatia gave Rs.12 lakh to Ajit Chandila for fixing IPL-5 matches last year, says the Delhi Police.
The Delhi police further added: Chandila failed to deliver and was asked to return the money. He gave back Rs.4 lakh while cheques for remaining amount bounced.
17.30 pm: Thakur is confident the Delhi police will do a good job
“Let us see how Delhi Police will go forward with the probe and then wait for it to end. Let’s not prempt anything,” said BCCI joint-secretary Anurag Thakur.
17.02 pm: Vindoo names Bollywood stars
According to TV reports, Vindoo has named top Bollywood stars during his interrogation by the police. The police also wants to question Meiyappan and Vindoo together.
16.28 pm: ED registers case
Enforcement Directorate begins money laundering probe in IPL spot-fixing case, registers criminal case.
15.37 pm: The Delhi, Mumbai police fight again
On Wednesday, the Mumbai police had refused to share their evidence with the Delhi cops. The Delhi cops in turn approached the hotel directly but the hotel was warned by the Mumbai police to not share the CCTV footage.
This is pretty embarrassing.
15.27 pm: Mumbai police issue summons to CSK’s Gurunath
Meiyappan was not at home but he was been asked to reach Mumbai for questioning by tomorrow. If he doesn’t appear in Mumbai between 11 am and 5 pm, he will be declared a fugitive.
Mumbai police want to specifically check CSK’s boss Gurunath’s mobile phone record.
15.14 pm: ED starts probe
Three Raids have been conducted in Mumbai. ED has found documentary link to IPL betting.
15.11 pm: Rajeev Shukla defends BCCI boss
Rajeev Shukla has come out and defending the BCCI chief, N Srinivasan.
“No proof against Srinivasan’s son-in-law. Let’s wait. Let the probe be over. No one will be spared. No matter how big the name. IPL has got a bad name now, but a few can’t taint all.”
15.00 pm: Police have left the CSK CEO’s residence
Police have left the CSK CEO’s residence. They have pasted a copy of the summons on his door. According to CNN-IBN sources, CSK management will meet with the police officials today.
The sources also say that Meiyappan is expected to be back tomorrow.
14.40 pm: Mumbai police at Gurunath’s residence
The police had to wait for 10 minutes but they are now in Gurunath’s house. They have been wanting to speak to the CSK boss about his alleged links with Vindoo Dara Singh.
Meiyappan, however, is not at home. How convenient…
Anyway, other sources are telling CNN-IBN that the officials have served a formal summons to Meiyappan.
14.30 pm: Mumbai police right outside Gurunath’s house
The Mumbai police is right outside Gurunath Meiyappan’s house. They have men from the Chennai police with them. But at the moment, CSK boss Gurunath doesn’t seem to be home.
14.21 pm: Delhi police want broadcasters to give footage of all RR matches
The Delhi Police have now asked the broadcasters to give them the raw footage of all the matches that were played in the league stage. Earlier, the police had asked for footage of only three matches but now it seems that all the matches will be scrutinized.
According to TV reports, the RR team management has still not been given a clean chit by the police.
14.05 pm: Mumbai police refuse to share evidence with Delhi police
J&K Cricket Association chairman Farooq Abdullah has spoken about the IPL spot-fixing scandal in an interview to CNN-IBN.
“I don’t think u can ban IPL. It’s unfortunate that this match fixing has emerged. We should get to the bottom of it that cricket lovers aren’t disappointed,” he said. “All Indians are embarrassed. It’s a wake up call if you want to keep it as a gentleman’s sport.”
On N Srinivasan stepping down: Nothing has been proved till now. This man might has been just been Vindoo’s son. Unless its proved that his son-in-law is involved we shouldn’t tarnish his image. He will clear himself once investigation gets through.
12.50 pm: Mumbai police refuse to share evidence with Delhi police
And in yet another sign of an increasing turf war between the Delhi and Mumbai police in the IPL spot-fixing case, the Times Now channel is reporting that the Mumbai police are refusing to share evidence collected from Sreesanth’s hotel room in the city.
As Firstpost said earlier, The Delhi Police may have made the arrests in the sensational IPL spot fixing case, but the case has sparked off a turf war between them and their Mumbai counterparts with both of them claiming to have more dirt than the other in the scandal.
Since the Mumbai police had no access to Sreesanth after his arrest by the Delhi police, they quickly did the next best thing. They raided his hotel room. Diaries and a few electronic items emerged and accompanying it were leaks about how the fast bowler was both a troubled soul wanting to improve himself and a man with an eye for a pretty face.
The Mumbai Police hasn’t been very clear on what the seizure of vigour tablets or photos from a casting director have to do with the Delhi police’s probe into spot fixing, and not surprisingly their north Indian counterparts are having a bit of a laugh at their disclosures.
“They (Mumbai Police) are only trying to save their face. All this IPL spot-fixing was happening in Mumbai but they did not do anything. People should try to appreciate the good work done by the Delhi Police, which has shown a lot of ills that were going on in IPL,” a caustic SN Srivastava, who is heading the Delhi police probe, told the Economic Times.
Claiming that the Mumbai Police was left holding ‘leftovers,’ Srivastava said the Delhi police had already taken what it needed from the hotel rooms of the three arrested players. The Mumbai police not surprisingly has chosen to remain mum on these claims.
In this particular case, the Delhi Police had earlier said that they had not co-ordinated with the Mumbai Police to preserve the secrecy of their operation, but the face off between the two police forces is hardly new and at times have stretched to cases related to terrorism as well.
Unfortunately in this case, the only loser seems to be Sreesanth who can expect any dirty secret he may have had in his diaries or electronic devices to quickly be made public as the two police forces try to one up each other.
12.31 pm: Bookie arrested in Ajmer
Ajmer police have arrested an alleged bookie but have refused to divulge any details saying they will wait for more concrete details to come out through interrogation.
Times Now reported that the arrested bookie had been engaged in betting for the last two to three years.
More details are awaited.
12.06 pm: Gurunath Meiyappan, not at his residence
Mumbai police have reached Chennai to quiz Chennai Super Kings CEO Gurunath Meiyappan, but he is not at his residence, reports Times Now. The channel said that Gurunath, who is also the son-in-law of BCCI President N Srinivasan, was not at his home, and there was no indication as to where he was.
The Mumbai police have reportedly now sought the assistance of local Chennai police to help with investigations. Police are reportedly
11.22 am: Too early to announce anyone guilty: BCCI
Anurag Thakur,the Joint Secretary of BCCI has said that it is too premature to announce anyone as guilty in the IPL betting scam, saying that the Delhi police had not yet concluded its investigation.
“Once the inquiry is complete we will be in a position to take the strongest action. Unless Delhi Police concludes its investigation can’t announce someone guilty”, ANI quoted him as saying.
10.59 am: Mumbai police team in Chennai to question Srinivasan’s son-in-law
A Mumbai police team has reached Chennai to question Srinivasan’s son-in-law and CEO of the Chennai Super Kings, Gurunath Meiyappan in relation to the spot-fixing case, CNN-IBNreported.
The channel added that in addition to Meiyappan, the police team is likely to question other top officials from the Chennai Super Kings.
Gurunath was allegedly in constant touch with Vindoo Dara Singh, and it is because of this constant contact that the police has decided to call him in for questioning.
You can read more on that here.
However Vindoo has reportedly claimed that he had made the calls to the team owner purely for personal reasons.
The actor has claimed that the calls made to Gurunath had little to do with the betting racket and they were “just friends”, reported the channel.
10.31 pm: ‘Upcoming’ Delhi player under the scanner
Another day, another name, another link. The IPL spot-fixing scam seems to be getting murkier and murkier. The latest person to come under the scanner is a rising Delhi Ranjiplayer whose profile had been found in a bookie’s social networking account, reports theHindustan Times. The player has not been named, but the report says,
“The hype built around the player and the manner in which he got out in the matches he played in the current T20 league has stirred the suspicion of investigators”.
Several agencies are reportedly studying the footage of all the matches he played in.
9.36 am: Vindoo Dara Singh had links with three players, placed bet for Bollywood stars
The spot-fixing scandal is getting murkier by the day with the police net now spreading to Kolkata. Police arrested nine people from the city on Thursday night in connection to the scandal. One of the nine people arrested is Ajit Sureka, a well-known bookie in the Indian cricket circles. According to Zee News, Rs 3 lakh in cash, eight mobile phones, two laptops which had betting software installed in them, were seized.
The accused will be produced in court today.
Meanwhile, small-time actor Vindoo Dara Singh, who is in police custody for his links with the betting, revealed that he used to place bets on behalf of ‘big Bollywood stars’. CNN IBNreports that Vindoo named three more players who were involved in the betting racket.
Meanwhile, Delhi CP Neeraj Kumar said that the police is tracking two other IPL teams and suspects that the betting racket is spread across the country and abroad.
While all fingers were being pointed at the possible Dawood connection, the gangster’s aide told in an interview on Aaj Tak that he doesn’t have anything to do with it. Chhota Shakeel distanced himself from the scam and said that it was Chhota Rajan, another mafia don, who is to be blamed for the muck.
Ironically enough, Dawood is so keen on distancing himself from the betting racket that he made Chhota Shakeel call up TOI and help clear his name. “Bhai doesn’t want haraam ka money from betting (Dawood doesn’t want money earned from dishonest cricketers),” Shakeel, weirdly enough, told the Times of India reporter.
Updates from 22 May end
6.37 pm: IPL should not stop: Sports Minister
“The IPL must not stop. We must ensure more responsibility for all,” Sports Minister Jitendra Singh told CNN-IBN in an interview. He also says that the IPL spot-fixing row has brought a bad name to sport.
5.49 pm: Chandila took an advance of Rs 15 lakh from bookies
Police have said that Ajit Chandila took an advance of Rs 15 lakh from bookies in April in order to fix a 17 May match between Rajasthan Royals & Hyderabad Sunrisers in Hyderabad.
5.11 pm: Sreesanth wanted to start betting house
He may deny the allegations of indulging in spot fixing in the current edition of the IPL, but documents reveal that fast bowler S Sreesanth’s company planned to enter many ventures including starting betting houses either in India or abroad.
S36 Sports and Entertainment Private Limited, in which the bowler reportedly has a 74 percent stake, in its filing with the Registrar of Companies has said that one of its obejctives was to start betting houses in India and abroad.
“According to S36′s memorandum of association filed with the registrar of companies in Bengaluru, the company’s main objectives are: “To run in India and/or abroad coaching centres, gymnasiums, health clubs, fitness centres, betting houses, indoor stadiums, sports physiotherapy centres, sports bars…“ the Deccan Chronicle quotes the document as saying.
However Sreesanth’s former coach P Sivakumar who was a director in the company until 2012 defended the player, saying it is a normal practice to list as many objectives, when a company is registered.
“It is a normal practice to list as many objectives, when a company is registered. The company was formed for Sreesanth’s post retirement life. If Sreesanth settles abroad, he can run a betting house. There are many countries where betting is allowed. We have not committed any illegality”, he said to CNN-IBN.
Sivakumar reportedly holds a 26 percent stake in the company, named after Sreesanth’s sports shop S36 in Kochi.
4.45 pm: Spot-fixing not restricted to IPL, ICL and Bangladesh Premier league also affected.
Police sources have said that it has emerged that Ajit Chandila had been paid for spot-fixing as early as April. This is separate from the Rs.20 lakh recovered from his cricket kit.
Meanwhile it looks as though the spot-fixing malaise is not limited to the IPL. PTI reported that one of the bookies, Sunil Bhatia admits he fixed some ICL matches with the help of Baburao Yadav. After ICL players were banned,
Bhatia took Yadav to Bangladesh.
Bhatia also reportedly claimed he has good contacts with a prominent Bangladeshi player. However they had to return as the ICC anti-corruption team spotted the bookie.
4.40 pm: Sreesanth’s girlfriend being questioned by cops
CNN-IBN reports that Sreesanth’s girlfriend, identified as Sakshi Jhala is being questioned by police with regards to the spot-fixing case.
Earlier reports came in that the former India pace bowler had spent a lot of his spot-fixing cash on his girlfriend, including a Rs 42,000 BlackBerry Z10 device that he paid for in cash.
Meanwhile NDTV quoting sources, reported that the mobile phones of a bookie had been found at Vindoo Dara Singh’s Juhu residence. Police had been conducting raids there since this morning. Singh was remanded to police custody till 24 May.
4.21 pm: Six bookies remanded to judicial custody till 5 May
A local court today remanded six bookies, arrested in connection with alleged IPL betting syndicate, to judicial custody till 5 June.
“Despite ample opportunities provided, the investigating officer has not pointed out who has been cheated and why,” additional metropolitan magistrate MN Saleem observed while remanding all the accused in judicial custody.
Mumbai Police has so far arrested six bookies – Ramesh Vyas, Pandurang Kadam, Ashok Vyas, Neeraj Shah, Pravin Bera and Pankaj Shah alias Lotus in connection with the IPL betting case.
All the bookies have filed bail applications and the Mumbai crime branch will file a reply on 24 May.
The magistrate also reprimanded the police saying the ground for taking custody written in the remand application is similar to the earlier submitted remand plea.
The court also observed that the phone instruments and other gadgets used for betting have been recovered from the bookies and in view of the above facts “there is no sufficient ground for police custody”.
The crime branch told the court that it wants to confront the six accused with Bollywood actor Vindoo Dara Singh, son of late wrestler-actor Dara Singh, arrested yesterday for his alleged association with bookies.
The officials also said voice samples of the accused have to be taken and they have to confront the accused with each other.
However, defence lawyers pointed out that the custody is not required for recording voice samples and for confronting with other accused.
On May 20, the city police, which had arrested six bookies in connection with the IPL betting, told the court that they would investigate if the Pakistanis with whom the bookies were in touch had any terror links or connections with the organised crime syndicates.
The arrested bookies were allegedly not only accepting the betting but were also connecting calls from bookies in Pakistan and Dubai.
The Crime branch told the court that they want to elicit information about the absconding bookies from the arrested bookies.
(PTI)
3.19 pm: Sreesanth and Co also charged under section 409
Police today invoked a stringent section pertaining to criminal breach of trust against the players and bookies arrested in the IPL spot-fixing scandal which could land them in jail for life.
Investigators added Section 409 (criminal breach of trust) to the case against 18 players and bookies arrested in the scandal after IPL franchise Rajasthan Royals filed a formal complaint with Delhi Police.
Police had earlier registered a case of cheating and criminal conspiracy.
In its complaint, Rajasthan Royals said it had entered into an agreement with the three players stipulating that they will abide by the rules and regulations laid by ICC, BCCI and IPL.
Sources said the franchise said they came to know that the players indulged in spot-fixing with a personal motive and for financial gains and that they “fundamentally eroded” the sanctity of the game.
They sought registration of case against the players under Section 420 (cheating), 120-B (criminal conspiracy), 406 (criminal breach of trust) while adding 409 (criminal breach of trust by public servant, or by banker, merchant or agent).
PTI
2.43 pm: UPA also involved in IPL, says Swamy
The United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government was involved in all the recently unearthed scams, including spot fixing in the Indian Premier League (IPL), and the involvement of some of its ministers would emerge, Janata Party leader Subramaniam Swamy said.
“The names of some UPA ministers will soon surface in the IPL spot fixing racket,” he told reporters. “There can be no scams and scandals without the blessings of the UPA government. They are in Coalgate, Commonwealth Games scandal and also the IPL scandal.”
(IANS)
2:00 pm: Madras HC issues notice over PIL
A PIL was today filed in the Madras High Court bench here seeking to direct the government to take over the management and administration of the Indian Premier League and Board of Control for Cricket as it had “failed” to promote the game.
In his petition, city-based lawyer V Santhakumaresan alleged that conduct of certain activities and receipt of income were totally commercial and there was no element of charity in the conduct of BCCI.
The surplus generated by BCCI was shared with players instead of being used for promoting the game, he claimed.
The court should direct CBI to conduct investigation into the entire affairs relating to sources of income, financial status, betting, and match fixing, Santhakumaresan said.
BCCI should desist from using the name “Indian Cricket team” for its team till disposal of the petition, the petitioner said.
He also sought a stay on the IPL 20-20 matches to be held from today till 26 May.
A Division Bench of Justices M M Sundresh and R Mala ordered issue of notice to the Secretary, Department of Culture and Youth Affairs, IPL Chairman, BCCI President, among others, returnable by June six. (PTI)
1:45 pm: Now cops say that Vindoo only made personal calls to CSK franchise CEO Gurunath
Just as soon as the news broke that the police could question Chennai Super Kings CEO Gurunath Meiyappan, now reports state that Vindoo has claimed that he had made the calls to the team owner purely for personal reasons.
The actor has claimed that the calls made to Gurunath had little to do with the betting racket and they were “just friends”, reported the channel.
The police has reportedly said that they are verifying the actor’s statement.
However, if the police stand by their statement that the actor would call the Chennai team chief and then bookies it raises questions why they wouldn’t want to question Gurunath.
1:05 pm: Mumbai police to question Chennai Super Kings CEO M Gurunathan in betting case
And now the Mumbai police has said that they will question Gurunath Meiyappan in connection with the betting racket in which actor Vindoo Dara Singh was arrested yesterday,CNN-IBN reports.
Gurunath was allegedly in constant touch with Vindoo and it is because of this constant contact that the police has decided to call him in for questioning.
You can read more on that here.
1:00 pm: Sreesanth reveals names of other players, including foreign players indulging in spot-fixing
The Delhi police now claims that Sreesanth has named other players who are allegedly involved in the betting racket in which he has been arrested.
A Delhi Police official is quoted in a Hindustan Times article saying that they have enough evidence to close in on four cricketers, including a foreign player, from two other teams and they could be arrested this week.
“During his questioning, he has named other players attached to two other teams. Since their recorded conversations do not figure in our telephone intercepts, we will move in on them only after we have enough proof which is being gathered. Fresh arrests will be made soon,” the official said.
12:45 pm: HC quashes petition to ban remainder of IPL games
The Delhi High Court has thrown out a petition which was seeking a ban on IPL games.
The petition had sought the ban on IPL and other aspects that are part of the current way in which the event is telecast, the lawyers for the petitioner said.
They had also sought that the Ministry of Sport take over the BCCI.
12:15 pm: Vindoo’s brother says he can’t believe his brothers’ involved
“I can never believe that he is involved in any way. Let investigations take place, Vindoo will come out clean,” Amrik Singh told reporters at the airport here before leaving for
Mumbai.
He said many people know Vindoo, winner of reality television show Bigg Boss season 3, as he is a known figure in Mumbai.
“Almost whole of Mumbai knows him. But that does not mean there is anything criminal… Moreover, by the grace of God, we have everything and we don’t need anything from anyone,” Amrik said. (PTI)
11.19 am: Cops hint that umpires are part of the scam
While the Delhi Police has cleared everyone in the Indian Premier League of their involvement in the spot fixing scandal, the Mumbai Police has hinted that the involvement of an umpire cannot be ruled out just yet.
The Mumbai Police has hinted at the involvement of a Pakistani umpire in the IPL spot fixing racket. This umpire reportedly officiated in one of the matches in which the three Rajasthan Royals cricketers arrested by the Delhi Police indulged in spot fixing, the Times of India reported.
The police has said they were analysing the activities of the umpire but helpfully added, just in case you wondered who it was, that the umpire was recently in the centre of a controversy over allegations of sexual assault by a model. In case you’re still wondering, the Mumbai Police is hinting at Asad Rauf.
10.32 am: Mumbai police raid Vindoo Dara Singh’s Mumbai house
CNN-IBN has reported that the Mumbai police are conducting raids on Vindoo Dara Singh’s house in Juhu, Mumbai. The channel said that some cash had been recovered. No further details were immediately available.
Singh was arrested yesterday and sent to five days of police custody, on suspicion that he was tied to bookies in the ongoing IPL spot-fixing case.
10: 15 am: Mumbai Police raises doubts about Vindoo’s calls to Chennai Super Kings CEO
After alleging that Vindoo Dara Singh was in touch with bookies and maybe even players participating in the IPL, the Mumbai Police now claims that the actor was in regular touch with the son-in- law of N Srinivasan, who is the franchise owner of Chennai Super Kings.
CNN-IBN reported that the police had evidence that the actor was in touch with the relative of N Srinivasan, the president of the Indian cricket board.
IBN7 tweeted that the person, Vindoo was in touch with Gurunath, the son-in-law of the Srinivasan, who is the owner of the Chennai team franchise and is the CEO of the team.
9. 30 am: Celebrity status is what worked against Sreesanth, says lawyer
It is no secret that the only other people who receive as much adoration and fame as Bollywood stars in India are its cricketers. But, Sreesanth’s lawyers say that this very adoration and fame is what worked to his disadvantage today.
“The judgement is impinged by the celebrity status of the person,” said Rebecca John, a senior lawyer representing the cricketer.
“My client’s case is nothing but a huge overreaction in the media and elsewhere. Even if there is a charge against my client, the maximum he would have done is tinker with an over in a match. There are much larger issues in this country and nobody is taking cognisance of those,” John told Firstpost.
Updates for 21 May end
22.46 pm: Is Vindoo a bookie himself?
In the latest revelation on the IPL spot-fixing case, sources have told Times Now that actor VindooDara Singh is a bookie.
According to TV reports Vindoo had earlier in the day admitted to have indulged in betting during IPL seasons 5 and 6.
21.22 pm: I’m innocent, never indulged in spot-fixing, says Sreesanth
“I am innocent and have done no wrong. I have never indulged in any spot fixing,” suspended pacer S Sreesanth, who is an accused in the IPL spot-fixing case, today said.
In a statement emailed to the media by his lawyer Rebecca John, the cricketer said “I have never indulged in any spot fixing and I have always played cricket in the spirit of the game”.
Sreesanth, who was today remanded in further five-day police custody by Metropolitan Magistrate Soumya Chauhan, said “as a cricketer, I have learnt to take knocks along with accolades, in my stride. I recognise that I am going through a tough period in my life.
Read more here.
20.21 pm: Vindoo Dara Singh confesses to betting
TV actor Vindoo Dara Singh on being questioned by the police has confessed to betting in the sixth season of the IPL, reported Times Now.
Vindoo has also confessed to the police that he met bookies Sanjay and Jupiter, the report said.
Vindoo was arrested this morning and taken in for questioning.
18:30 pm: It’s not related, but Sahara’s pulled out of the IPL
Meanwhile, after the BCCI made Sahara cough up its guarantees after failing to pay the franchise fee the corporate has announced that it will no longer participate in the IPL.
So no Pune Warriors India next year as it stands. Does this have anything to do with the fact that Sahara’s supposed to cough up around Rs 24,000 crore to pay back investors? They’re not saying for now.
18:15 pm: Delhi cops get Sreesanth, Chandila and Chavan’s custody for another five days
Firstpost‘s Arlene Chang reports from the Saket court that the custody of the three cricketers has been extended for another five days.
Seven other accused in the case have also been granted additional police custody for another five days.
The former Ranji cricket player Babu Yadav has also been sent to police custody.
18:00 pm: Mumbai police says Rs 1 crore recovered and little else
Joint Commissioner of Police Himanshu Roy has begun the press conference by displaying the dramatic visuals of Rs one crore that they recovered from the bookie Alpesh Patel.
“The crime branch has made three fresh arrests – first is Alpesh Patel from whom we have recovered 1 crore,” Roy said.
Patel is alleged to be a hawala operator and merely carried the money to fund the betting activities.
“Vindoo Dara Singh has also been arrested for links with bookies who are wanted by us,” he said.
The third person arrested has been identified as Prem Taneja, another bookie.
The top cop has promised to interrogate the arrested individuals, revealed little else and left. Expect more salacious details off the camera.
17: 56 pm: Delhi court extends custody of three Rajasthan Royals players
The Delhi court has extended the police custody of all three players from the Rajasthan Royals, reports NDTV.
However, the channel hasn’t clarified for how long the trio are expected to remain in police custody.
17:45: Exclusive images of Sreesanth at Delhi court
We have some exclusive pictures of Sreesanth in the Delhi court today thanks to our photojournalist Naresh Sharma. You can check out the images here.
17: 40 pm: Sreesanth’s lawyer opposes cops plea for more custody
PTI reports that Sreesanth’s lawyer has opposed the plea by the Delhi police seeking five additional days of custody. He has also opposed the addition of the additional charge of criminal breach of trust against the cricketer.
Meanwhile, CNN-IBN’s Bhupendra Chaubey tells us on Twitter that the masala in the scandal is no where close to over and there could be one more Bollywood name in the mix:
Who can it be now?
17:25 pm: Sreesanth bought Blackberry z10 for girlfriend, spent Rs 2 lakh on clothes in one trip to store
The Delhi police has told the court hearing the remand application of Sreesanth in the spot fixing case that the fast bowler used money from spot-fixing to gift a Blackberry to girlfriend, reports PTI.
Sreesanth being produced at Saket court today. Naresh Sharma/ Firstpost
Meanwhile, the cops have also said that Sreesanth had bought Rs 1.95 lakh worth of clothes bought from a designer brand in Mumbai during a single trip and they are still identifying bills for the items he purchased, reportedCNN-IBN.
The police also say that they have raided a house in Jaipur based on information obtained from the fast bowler.
17:20 pm: On a lighter note…
Ok so we’re all going a little gaga over the pictures of Vindoo Dara Singh at an IPL match sitting next to Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s wife. Here’s one wise opinion from Twitter on it:
17: 15 pm: Cops say they have taken voice and handwriting samples of three players
Delhi Police sources have told ANI that they have taken voice and handwriting samples of 9 people taken.
They have also taken Sreesanth’s voice sample as part of their investigations.
17: 10 pm: Delhi police seeks custody of three Rajasthan Royals players for 10 more days
The Delhi police seems to be in no mood to grant Sreesanth, Ajit Chandila and Ankeet Chavan any reprieve and have sought 10 days police custody for all three of them, reportsCNN-IBN.
Will Sreesanth’s lawyers pull off a Houdini act and get him bail? Watch this space.
17:05 pm: 4 bookies sent to judicial custody by Delhi court
Four of the bookies arrested by the Delhi police in connection with the spot fixing case have been remanded by the court to 14 days in judicial custody, reported CNN-IBN.
17:02 pm: Court remands Vindoo Dara Singh till 24 May
A magistrate’s court has remanded actor Vindoo Dara Singh to police custody till 24 May, reports say.
17:00 pm: Cops tell court Vindoo was link between bookies, players
The Mumbai police while seeking the custody of Vindoo Dara Singh has said that he was reportedly the link between bookies and players, reports CNN-IBN.
Singh has reportedly been booked under sections of forgery and is presently being accused of helping bookies obtain telephone connnections using forged documents, the channel reported.
However, the Mumbai police hasn’t revealed who the players the actor was in touch with depriving us of all the masala.
Another suspect Kalpesh Patel has also been arrested along with Singh for his links with bookies, CNN-IBN reported.
16:55 pm: Sreesanth brought to Saket court, will he get bail?
Sreesanth is being taken to the Saket court where he is likely to seek bail, while the Delhi police is likely to seek an extension of his custody.
ANI has kindly tweeted out an image of the cricketer en route to the court:
16.17 pm: Vindoo taken to court
The police is likely to seek custody for five days. As he was being taken to court, a reporter asked: ‘Toh Vindoo, kitne ki betting ki thi?” (How much did you bet?)
Unfortunately there was no reply from the actor. The Mumbai police, however, is expected to speak soon on the alleged involvement of the actor in the betting racket.
16.06 pm: BCCI hasn’t forgiven any match-fixer, says Rajiv Shukla
Rajeev Shukla, IPL Chairman: “BCCI is one body that has ensured that the match-fixers haven’t been spared. All match-fixers have been banned and they are still serving their bans. Other Boards have not done this. Only we have.”
“Betting goes on. The IPL is only on for one and a half months. But what about the rest of the year. There is betting on everything — on cricket, one election. We welcome a new law against betting. We will spare no one.”
Shukla added that the arrest of Vindoo Dara Singh showed how it difficult it was to identify bookies. ‘Anyone can be a bookie. There are thousands of them”, he said.
15.58 pm: Vindoo Dara Singh has confessed
Sources have told CNN-IBN that Vindoo Dara Singh has confessed to his links with the bookies. He was reportedly a go-between cricketers and bookies.
15.48 pm: Vindoo Dara Singh arrested
The first Bollywood link to the IPL spot-fixing scandal. He has been arrested for links with bookies by the Mumbai Crime Branch. He is the son of Dara Singh and is also a winner of Bigg Boss. This arrest follows the arrest of Ramesh Vyas, who was arrested a few days back. Vyas had links to key bookies Jupiter and others who were named by the Delhi police.
He is being questioned by the Mumbai Crime Branch at the moment. During IPL 6, he has been spotted with MS Dhoni’s wife, Sakhshi at the Mumbai Indians vs Chennai Super Kings match on April 6.
According to TV sources, the cops have evidence linking Vindoo to bookies. They have also said that Vindoo was in constant touch with bookies. He was picked up late last evening.
14.23 pm: SC pulls up BCCI, refuses to ban IPL matches
SC refuses to ban IPL matches, saying it cannot be done just because of certain irregularities on the part of a few players. The tournament will go on. In the 20-minute hearing, the SC ordered the BCCI to take the necessary action. They need to stop the lackadaisical attitude. SC also directed the one-man committee appointed by BCCI to submit its report within 15 days.
“There has to be scientific, rational, dispassionate approach on part of BCCI to solve the problem,” said the SC.
SC added: “Let the cricket remain a gentleman’s game and not tainted by irregularities and scams.”
13.29 pm: Law Minister convenes special meeting
The Law Minister Kapil Sibal had mentioned earlier that match fixing needs to be made a criminal offence. The meeting looked at that aspect.
“We believe that match-fixing is neither gambling nor betting. Because in betting you don’t know the result. In fixing, that’s known. We have decided to put up a case to the attorney general of India as soon as he returns from abroad. Then a national legislation can be drafted. If he says yes, then we will try and draft the law. We will then speak to the sports ministry, who will then take it forward and bring it up in the Parliament,” said Kapil Sibal.
12.56 pm: Sending Sreesanth and Co to jail will be tough
Given the reports that have come thick and fast about the police’s investigation into the alleged spot-fixing racket in the IPL, it would appear that the case against the three Rajasthan Royals players is a slam dunk. But it won’t be so easy to prove criminal liability in a court of law where the prosecution will need to convince a judge beyond a reasonable doubt, say lawyers.
“It is going to be very, very difficult,” Desh Gaurav Sekhri, a sports lawyer, told Firstpost. The first issue is who is going to serve as the complainant. It is for this reason that the Rajasthan Royals have been asked to file an FIR. “It is pretty clear they are the only ones who have a case against the players,” Sekhri said.
12.53 pm: RR Chairman Ranjit Barthakur meets police
The Rajasthan Royal’s Chairman Ranjit Barthakur meets investogators at Delhi Police special cell.
11.30 am: Sreesanth and Co questioned again
The Delhi police special cell is questioning the trio again. The custody ends today and the players are due it court later in the day. The police will be looking to extend the custody by another 5 days. Sreesanth is expected to ask for bail.
11.01 am: Another bookie arrested in Chennai
According to TV channels, IPL betting kingpin Prashanth has been arrested in Chennai. Rs 6 lakhs in cash has been recovered. Prasanth was arrested in 2002 in relation to a havala case.
11.00 am: SC to hear PIL on spot fixing
The PIL wants a stay on the matches. SC will take it up for further hearing at 1400 hrs IST.
The petitioner, a Lucknow resident, has made all IPL franchises and BCCI party in the case along with the Centre.
“There are many irregularities in the IPL beginning from auction of players. Black money and money from anti-social elements are involved in the IPL which needs to be probed,” advocate Vishnu Jain, who filed the petition, said.
The petition sought a stay on remaining four matches including final match of the IPL till the probe is completed.
10.39 am: Kapil Sibal seeks law to make match-fixing a criminal offence
Telecom Minister Kapil Sibal has said that there should be a law to prevent match fixing by making it a criminal offence.
The comment comes after the BCCI allegedly wrote to the government seeking a law to prevent match fixing in the future.
Sreesanth’s lawyers will attempt to get bail for their client. BCCI
9.46 am: Police to seek further custody of Sreesanth as he is not cooperating with probe
Reports just coming in state that police will oppose former India pace bowler Sreesanth’s bail application on the grounds that he is not cooperating with the investigation. Police sources were quoted by the Times Nowchannel as saying that not only was Sreesanth an active participant in the spot-fixing, but they also had no idea where the money that he was paid by one of the bookies was.
Police will seek an additional five-days custody.
Sreesanth’s lawyer Deepak Prakash has said that he will go all out to seek bail for his client.
9.19 am: Sreesanth’s lawyers to apply for bail as police custody ends today
The five-day police remand of Indian pacer S Sreesanth, the most high-profile among those arrested so far by the Delhi Police Special Cell in the sensational IPL spot-fixing scandal, ends on Tuesday.
So what is next for the cricketer?
Will the police seek an extension of his custody? Not an unlikely scenario in such cases, given that the investigation is ongoing. Three more people were arrested in connection with scandal on 19 May and remanded to police custody for five days on Sunday.
The top priority for Sreesanth’s lawyers at this point is getting him out on bail and they will move the application when he is produced in court this afternoon.
Cheating (Section 420 of the Indian Penal Code), which the cricketer has been charged with along with criminal conspiracy (Section 120B), is a non-bailable offence.
However, his lawyer Deepak Prakash seems confident that Sreesanth will be granted bail although he didn’t specify the grounds on which he would argue for bail for his client.
While the prosecution is certain to oppose Sreesanth’s bail, the likely grounds on which it could be opposed are – the nature of the charges against Sreesanth, gravity of the crime, the huge a
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