Bipin Dani
Reduction and revocation of the suspension from life-ban to seven years of S. Sreesanth and Ankit Chavan by the Indian cricket board has prompted Ajit Chandila also to appeal to revoke his ban too.
Along with Sreesanth and Chavan, Chandila, 30 then, was also life-banned by the Indian cricket board for alleged spot-fixing in 2013 IPL.
“I have written four times to the BCCI president Sourav Ganguly to lift my ban but yet to receive any response from the board”, the all-rounder, speaking exclusively over the telephone, said.
Interestingly, Chandila contacted Ankit Chavan on the day when he learnt about the “release” of Chavan.
Sreesanth and Chavan got the relief at the intervention of High Courts in Kerala and Mumbai respectively.
Chandila has also sought advice from his Delhi-based lawyer Rakesh Kumar, it is also learnt.
“I am being guided to follow the same procedure and hence asking my lawyer to file an appeal in the court seeking relief”.
Interestingly, the trio’s case is “still pending” in the Delhi High Court, according to Neeraj Kumar, the ex-police commissioner.
Neeraj Kumar, who later became the BCCI’s Anti-Corruption Unit head had investigated the case as Police Commissioner.
Speaking exclusively over the telephone, he said, “we had strong audio and video evidence against these three (the third being Ajit Chandila).
Whatever they discussed on telephone (with the bookies) they acted in the same fashion during the matches”.
“Their case is still pending in the Delhi Court but because of the current pandemic it has not come for the hearing”.
Now, both High Courts in Kerala (Sreesanth) and Mumbai (Ankit Chavan) have reduced their punishment, the case in Delhi court is unlikely to be heard.
“Sreesanth and Chavan didn’t seek relief from Delhi court but approached other states and on a sympathetic ground got relief. They are challenging the ban but not the criminal charges”, he added.
