Aditya Verma welcomes court's decision on Sreesanth, steps up battle against N Srinivasan

Cricket Association of Bihar secretary Aditya Verma said the court’s “decision is a slap on N Srinivasan’s face”

Kolkata, July 25 (IANS) Unrecognised Cricket Association of Bihar (CAB) secretary Aditya Verma on Saturday welcomed a Delhi court's decision to drop charges against former India pacer S. Sreesanth and 35 other accused in the 2013 Indian Premier League (IPL) spot-fixing and betting case.

Delhi Police filed a chargesheet on July 30, 2013, alleging that underworld don Dawood Ibrahim and his aide Chhota Shakeel were behind the IPL spot-fixing scandal. The formal set of charges, running into 6,000 pages, named Sreesanth, Ajit Chandila, and Ankeet Chavan, among other accused in the scandal.

Dawood and Shakeel are on the run and have been declared proclaimed offenders in the case after police completed proceedings of their property attachment.

Additional Sessions Judge Neena Krishna however in its judgement on Saturday discharged the Rajasthan Royals trio and 33 others who were chargesheeted by the Delhi Police in connection with the spot-fixing scandal that rocked the sixth edition of the cash-rich Twenty20 tournament.

Verma has been at loggerheads with the BCCI for quite some time over granting affiliation to the CAB and hogged national limelight when a PIL filed by him barred the board’s then president N Srinivasan from contesting any election on grounds of conflict of interest.

He carried forward his battle against the current ICC Chairman after expressing delight at the court’s decision.

"Justice has finally prevailed. The cricketers who were banned by the BCCI have been exonerated,” Verma said. “The decision is a slap on Srinivasan's face who tried all his might to render these players as scapegoats and save his son-in-law Gurunath Meiyappan," said Verma. “It's time the BCCI initiates action against Srinivasan and ensures that he is removed as the ICC chairman."

Verma feels the Indian Cements supremo should be held accountable as well on the basis of the Lodha Committee verdict. The Supreme Court-appointed panel had earlier this month handed life bans to CSK team principal Gurunath Meiyappan and Rajasthan Royals co-owner Raj Kundra from any cricketing activity.