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BCCI suspends Kale, orders probe

Kolkata, November 21
Rocked by unprecedented charges of bribery, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) moved in quickly today and suspended first class cricketer Abhijit Kale for allegedly offering Rs 10 lakh each to two national selectors for a place in the Indian team to Australia and ordered an inquiry into it.

The board appointed Chairman of the Bar Council of India D.V. Subba Rao as the Commissioner of Inquiry who has been asked to submit his findings within 15 days.

Announcing this, BCCI President Jagmohan Dalmiya said the inquiry report would be referred to the board’s disciplinary committee for final adjudication and till that time Kale would remain suspended from participating in any tournament conducted by the board.

Kale, who has denied the charge, has also been asked by the Maharashtra Cricket Association to appear before a three-member inquiry committee in Pune tomorrow.

The BCCI chief, who read out written reports given to him by two selectors — Pranab Roy of East Zone and Kiran More of West Zone — whom he had allegedly approached, clarified that Kale had offered monetary inducements for his selection in the Australia-bound Indian team.

The bribery controversy, the biggest to hit Indian cricket since the match-fixing scandal more than two years ago, came to light during the TVS Cup final between India and Australia on Tuesday when the two selectors verbally informed Dalmiya about Kale’s alleged offer.

“I told them to give everything in writing as this was a serious matter and had legal ramifications,” Dalmiya said, adding that the actions announced today were as per the advice of board’s legal counsel.

Dalmiya said on November 19, he had conveyed the matter to the Maharashtra Cricket Association, to which Kale belonged and whose representatives were in the city for the tri-series final.

The written reports from the two national selectors, he said, were received by him late last night and referred them to the legal counsel.

In his report, Roy said “I was approached by Abhijit Kale with an offer of monetary inducement of Rs 10 lakh” for a place in the Indian team.

“I reprimanded him for his audacity and misdemeanour and he apologised,” Roy said in the report, according to Dalmiya.

In a separate report, More said “Kale repeatedly called me over phone and tried to offer money to get selected.”

“The manner in which he approached me is unethical and might have spoilt the image of the game in the country,” More said in his report.

None of the selectors, however, mentioned when they were offered these inducements, but both of them indicated that Kale called them on more than one occasion to impress upon them for a place in the Indian team.

Apparently, the offers were made before November 13, when the national selectors met in Bangalore to choose 20 probables for the Australian trip. The final 16 were selected at Hyderabad two days later.

The punitive action taken by the board has been conveyed to Kale and to all affiliated units of the board, including the Maharashtra Cricket Association.

Asked whether More’s letter had specified the amount allegedly offered by Kale, Dalmiya said “these details you will know once the inquiry is held”.

“I have acted as per prima facie evidence ... on the basis of whatever information I had. The commissioner of inquiry asked me to initiate the process quickly as applying the principle of natural justice is important,” Dalmiya said. — PTI

Kale vows to fight suspension

Rajkot, November 21
Tainted Maharashtra bastman Abhijit Kale today vowed to fight the “false” bribery allegation levelled against him and said he would appeal against the suspension slapped on him by the cricket board.

“It is a false allegation. I do not know what to say now but I will say whatever I have to at the inquiry commission,” Kale said here.

“I am very disappointed,” he said after he got the news of his suspension pending an inquiry by one-man commission.

“Before announcing suspension they should have heard my side of the story first. I am very disappointed as this is the beginning of the season,” said Kale who was here for Maharshtra’s Ranji Trophy match against Saurashtra.

“I am on my way to Mumbai. I will talk to my family and do the needful,” he said.

Bangalore: BCCI selection committee chairman S.M.H. Kirmani today said he was “terribly shocked” over allegations that Mumbai batsman Abhijit Kale had offered Rs 10 lakh each to selectors Kiran More and Pranab Roy to be picked up for the India squad.

“The news came as a terrible shock to me,” he told UNI.

Kirmani said he had received information of the alleged offer from neither of his selector colleagues, whom he had met in Kolkata during the final of the TVS Cup tri-series.

“No one told me that such an offer was made and I got to know about this only after I reached Bangalore,” the former India wicket-keeper said.

Kirmani added that he had not contacted Roy or More after the allegations became public.

“Kale is reported to have said he could not have mustered that kind of money. Anyway, the truth will come out only after all facts are ascertained,” he observed. — PTI, UNI

Ganguly defends Abhijit Kale

CHENNAI: Saurav Ganguly today stood by Abhijit Kale, who is at the centre of an alleged bribery scandal, saying it was important to establish the truth before passing a judgement.

Expressing shock over the allegation that Kale had offered money for a place in the India squad, Ganguly said it was difficult for him to believe the player’s involvement since he had known him for a long time.

“It is difficult for me to make a statement on that (bribery allegation) at this time. I am not too sure that a person like Kale could do such a thing,” Ganguly told a press conference before the Indian team’s departure for Australia.

“I have known Kale for a long time. I will have to wait and see. I still do not believe in it,” Ganguly said.

“Anything could come out in the media, be it television or newspapers. Anybody could pass a statement on somebody. How far it is true that is important. “I do not think a mere allegation should have a problem (for Kale) unless it is an established fact,” the Indian skipper said. — PTI