BCCI defers decision on Ajit Chandila, Hiken Shah & Asad Rauf until January 18

The disciplinary committee of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) deferred its decision on cricketers Ajit Chandila and Hiken Shah as well as former ICC umpire Asad Rauf in the 2013 IPL spot-fixing scandal to January 18.

The three-member committee comprising of board president Shashank Manohar, Jyotiraditya Scindia, the president of the Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association (MPCA) and Niranjan Shah, secretary of the Saurashtra Cricket Association, had questioned the players in question on December 24, along with Ravi Sawani, head of the BCCI’s Anti-Corruption Unit (ACU) and given them time until Monday to respond in writing to the charges levied against them.

Chandila was arrested by Delhi police in 2013 along with his Rajasthan Royals teammates S Sreesanth and Ankit Chavan, on the charges of attempting to fix IPL games while Shah was suspended by the board in June 2015 after he had reportedly made a corrupt approach to one of his colleagues from first-class cricket, who is also a member of one of the IPL teams.

Pakistan’s Asad Rauf, a former member of the ICC’s Elite Panel of Umpires, was also issued a notice asking him to respond to the charges of being involved in spot-fixing. While Shah appeared in person and presented his case in front of the disciplinary committee which met on Tuesday at Mumbai, Rauf sought more time from the board to prepare a more detailed response.

Rauf has denied any wrongdoing but has not travelled to India ever since the allegations cropped up against him, even giving up his profession as an umpire after he was dropped from the ICC’s Elite Panel in June 2013. He is currently a ‘wanted accused’ in the case.

The BCCI has taken a considerate view, however, and heeded to Rauf’s request giving him close to two week’s time to prepare a written response before taking the next step.

The board clarified the decision by issuing a statement and it read: “The Disciplinary Committee of the Board met today in Mumbai. Hiken Shah appeared in person, made an oral submission and a written reply to the findings of the enquiry against him.

"The Committee considered the request of Mr Asad Rauf to give him more time to respond to the findings of the Enquiry against him. The Disciplinary Committee will meet on Monday, January 18, 2016, at Cricket Centre," it added.