NEW DELHI: With his back against the wall after the T20 League spot-fixing scandal, BCCI President N Srinivasan has not ruled out filing a criminal complaint against the arrested "dirty cricketers," insisting that no one is hurting more than him because of the crisis. 

"If permitted, we will file a criminal case against them," said Srinivasan when asked whether the BCCI would file a case against the arrested players.

A special cell of the Delhi Police arrested Indian pacer S. Sreesanth and his Rajasthan Royals teammates — Ajit Chandila and Ankeet Chavan — for indulging in spot-fixing in at least three T20 League matches as per arrangements with bookies who have underworld connections abroad.

The players, who have been suspended by the BCCI, have been brought to Delhi and charged under section 420 (cheating) and 120-B (criminal conspiracy) of the IPC.

Facing criticism for not keeping a check on the menace of fixing despite warnings from various quarters, the defiant BCCI chief insisted that it is the greed of individual players that has created the ongoing crisis.

"IPL has not let down people, it is the dirty cricketers who have let down people. We feel bad that such a thing has happened. But I don't have to personally apologise as long as people can see that we are acting against the problem," he said.

"We are really shocked. I have no words to condemn what has happened. We want it never to happen again. We are an honest organisation," he added.

Srinivasan defended the league which, according to some experts of the game, has created fertile ground for fixing and manipulation.

"That's a very big generalisation. We have to admit that three players have been arrested. Their lawyers are saying they are innocent. We have to wait for the Delhi Police to substantiate these allegations," Srinivasan said.

Asked whether the Board is in a state of denial given that corruption was exposed in the league even last season, a defiant Srinivasan said, "I am not in a state of denial. There was some evidence, police have made their statement fine...all I am saying is the players are innocent till proven guilty.

"The BCCI has issued a showcause notice to them but I concede that it is a shock. I never expected that a Test player like Sreesanth and others would be accused of such wrongdoing," he added.

Srinivasan, in fact, lost his composure when he was repeatedly questioned on the T20 League's credibility and asserted that some players going haywire should not be seen as evidence of the entire league being fixed.

"For the last two days, everybody has asked me the same question but I would say, it is the biggest tournament in the world, we should be proud of.

"The point I am making is that everybody is berating IPL saying that IPL is finished. But I am saying that yes players have been arrested and naturally it will have some impact," he added.

"Not only does it worry me but I have to sit here and listen that IPL finished. Three players have done something is wrong but the entire IPL is not bad." Asked how would the BCCI react if the speculation of more players being involved comes out to be true, Srinivasan said, "If that evidence comes out, we will deal with it. The BCCI is very concerned but I cannot go out and tell what our committee will do."

"No one can say nothing has happened when three players have been arrested. But we have to focus what we we have to do. BCCI will look into it in great detail." Srinivasan also brushed aside sacked IPL Commissioner Lalit Modi's recent statements that his warnings of corruption in the IPL were ignored by the Board.

"I do not give credibility to what Modi says. He is under enquiry for some very serious acts which he has committed against the BCCI. I do not want to comment on what Mr Modi says," he said.

When asked whether the BCCI also ignored warnings from the ICC Srinivasan said the governing body was supposed to act on the menace and not warn of it.

"Excuse me, ICC is in charge of it (IPL) and they are supposed take steps to prevent fixing. Whatever has been specifically requested has been dealt with by the BCCI. We are not going to keep quiet," he said.

Srinivasan, who also own the IPL team Chennai Super Kings, rebutted accusations of conflict of interest.

"This matter is before the Supreme Court. I cannot comment on it. I do not own the team, I happen to be a shareholder in the company which owns the team," he said.

The BCCI boss promised a fair enquiry into the matter, insisting that nothing would be brushed under the carpet.

"If there is a fault and something that has been overlooked we will not cover it up. We will get to the bottom of it," he assured.

He backed the idea of having tough legislation to cub fixing and betting in Indian sports.

"We will take whatever steps necessary to eradicate this.

I believe that the regulation must be so tight that nobody gets even a quarter," he said. — PTI

NEW DELHI: Three Rajasthan Royal players, S. Sreesanth, Ajit Chandila and Ankit Chavan, arrested for alleged spot fixing in the IPL will be questioned for the second time by the Delhi Police on Saturday.

The trio will be confronted with each other for the first time since their arrest on Thursday. They were questioned separately on Friday, police said.

They will also be confronted with bookies and audio recordings. The questioning will be led by S.N. Srivastava, special commissioner of Delhi Police.

The Delhi Police is likely to conduct more raids in several cities Saturday to track the money trail in connection with the Indian Premier League (IPL) spot fixing, sources said.

Raids will be carried out in five cities, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Kolkata and Delhi-NCR (national capital region).

Three cricketers and eleven bookies, who are in five days police custody, were charged under section 420 (cheating) and 120 (B) (criminal conspiracy) of the IPC.

The Delhi Police arrested the three players in a post-midnight operation in Mumbai on May 16 for spot fixing in IPL matches for payments of upto Rs.60 lakh, for giving away a pre-determined number of runs in an over. — IANS

MUMBAI: Mumbai crime branch sleuths have seized a laptop and some other articles from a room in a city hotel where Rajasthan Royals player S. Sreesanth is reported to have stayed in before his arrest on the charge of spot-fixing IPL matches, the police said on Saturday.

The recovery was made on Friday night. The investigators are trying to look for clues to the Rajasthan Royals player’s links with bookies and other details relating to the spot-fixing allegations, sources told PTI.

Sreesanth and his close friend Jiju Janardanan, who was allegedly in touch with the bookies on behalf of the cricketer, were reported to have stayed in the hotel.

A special cell of the Delhi police had arrested Sreesanth and his teammates — Ajit Chandila and Ankeet Chavan — in Mumbai on Wednesday night after their team’s IPL match against Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede stadium, jolting the cash-rich T20 league.

While Sreesanth was picked up from his friend’s residence, Chavan and Chandila were arrested from the team hotel at Nariman Point.

The crime branch is likely to share information it gathers in connection with the scandal with Delhi police, which has sent investigators to four cities including Mumbai to trace the money trail in the case. — PTI

Spot-fixing: Delhi Police teams to track money trail

NEW DELHI: The Delhi Police has sent investigators to four cities in the country to trace the money trail in the IPL spot-fixing case.

According to sources, teams have been sent to Ahmedabad, Kolkata, Mumabi and Hyderabad in this connection.

Sreesanth and the other two cricketers — Ankit Chavan and Ajit Chandila — were arrested in Mumbai on Thursday by Delhi Police for spot-fixing IPL matches for payments of upto Rs 60 lakh for giving away pre-determined number of runs in an over.

According to police sources, Chandila allegedly got Rs 20 lakh for spot-fixing.

Sreeshant also allegedly received money in connection with spot fixing, the sources said, adding that Chavan did not receive money as he was arrested as soon as the match ended and the transaction could not take place.

Sources said all calls to and for Sreeshant were made by his close friend Jiju.

“Jiju has been a constant companion of Sreesanth and had been travelling with him and staying in the same hotel,” a senior police official said.

The Delhi Police on Friday claimed that Sreesanth and the two other arrested Rajasthan Royal(RR) players have “confessed” to spot-fixing in IPL matches.

Six bookies were held in Tamil Nadu in connection with another IPL betting racket and one each picked up in Mumbai and Delhi yesterday. 11 bookies were arrested earlier along with cricketers Sreesanth, Chavan and Chandila.

Lawyers of the three cricketers have denied their involvement and claimed that they were falsely implicated as part of a deep-rooted conspiracy.

The role of more players whose names cropped up during interrogation of the arrested cricketers and bookies in the IPL spot-fixing scandal could be probed, police had said.

The Delhi Police is also likely to probe some more IPL matches in the current season even as Sreesanth, Chavan and Chandila along with 11 other arrested bookies were subjected to interrogation by its Special Cell. — PTI

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is expected to travel to Washington in a few months at the invitation of US President Barack Obama.

Obama's invitation to Singh was delivered by US deputy secretary of state William Burns during his recent visit in New Delhi, sources said.

Singh has accepted the invitation and will be travelling to Washington, the sources said.

The Prime Minister's visit to Washington could be clubbed with his tour to New York when he travels there to attend the United Nations General Assembly, they said.

This will be Singh's second bilateral visit to the US during Obama's tenure. — PTI

Infiltration bid foiled along LoC, JCO killed

SRINAGAR: A junior commissioned officer was killed while a soldier was injured as Army on Saturday foiled an infiltration bid by militants in Macchil sector along the Line of Control in north Kashmir's Kupwara district.

Troops of 56 Rashtriya Rifles noticed some suspicious movement of two to four persons along the LoC in Macchil sector at around 3.00am and challenged them, an Army spokesman said in Srinagar.

The militants, who were trying to sneak into the Valley from Pakistan occupied Kashmir, opened fire on the army positions including on Dingeri Post, which was retaliated.

In the ensuing gunfight, a JCO identified as Arun Kumar was killed while a soldier Solanki Raju was injured.

The militants fled in view of the stiff challenge posed by the army troops, the spokesman said.

The ultras left behind two assault rifles and some war-like stores before crossing back into PoK territory, he said. — PTI

BANGALORE: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Saturday expanded his Cabinet with the induction of 28 ministers.

Twenty were made Cabinet Ministers and eight Ministers of State.

They were administered oath of office by Governor H.R. Bhardwaj at a ceremony at Glass House at Raj Bhavan.

Those made Cabinet ministers are R.V.Deshpande, Qamar-ul-Islam, Prakash B Hukkeri, Ramalinga Reddy, T.B.Jayachandra, B.Ramanath Rai, H.K.Patil, Shamanur Shivashankarappa, V.Srinivasa Prasad, H.C. Mahadevappa, K.J.George, H.S.Mahadeva Prasad, M.H.Ambarish, Vinay Kumar Sorake, Baburao Chinchanasur, U.T.Khadar, Satish Jarkiholi, M.B.Patil, H.Anjaneya and Shivaraj S Thangadagi.

The Ministers of State include Abhaychandra Jain, Dinesh Gundurao, Krishna Byregowda, Sharana Prakash Patil, Santosh Lad, Kimmane Ratnakar, Umashree and P.T.Parameshwar Naik. — PTI