IPL Spot-fixing 2013: Judgement day for three accused on December 24

Ajit Chandila, one of the accused, might face a life ban after BCCI disciplinary committee verdict

The disciplinary committee of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), will meet on December 24 in Mumbai to decide the magnitude of punishment for the three accused- former cricketers Ajit Chandila and Hiken Shah, and the former ICC umpire Asad Rauf- related to corrupt practices during the IPL spot-fixing scandal of 2013.

Chandila and Shah are facing charges of match-fixing or 'inappropriate' approach to another player, while Rauf, the former Pakistani umpire, has been alleged of betting on the IPL games.

The meeting has been called by the BCCI secretary Anurag Thakur, but no information of sermons issued to any of the concerned individuals has been reported so far. Asad, nevertheless, is unlikely to appear for the meeting as it is scheduled to be held in Mumbai, a place that has seen vociferous protests against Pakistani nationals in the recent past.

Besides Shashank Manohar, the president of the board, Jyotiraditya Scindia and Niranjan Shah are the members of the committee. At least one of the two accused cricketers faces a potential life ban, a punishment similar in its severity to the one given to the other tainted players- S Sreesanth and Ankeet Chavan, who were handed life bans.

Chandila’s case remained pending in the court as he was in prison when the others were called for hearing, and by time he was released, the board wasn’t ready to hear his plea. The cricketer’s lawyer has, however, demanded that the verdict shouldn’t be announced without giving the player a proper hearing.

Hiken was allegedly reported to have approached another player for fixing, who in turn had reported it to the authorities. Once he was caught red-handed, the player was suspended but the final judgement wasn’t given in his case.

As far as Rauf is concerned, the Mumbai Police filed a charge sheet against him, and mentioned him as a ‘wanted accused.’

It wasn’t clear whether any or all them would be summoned for the meeting, but it appears that the judgement will be pronounced on the given day.

The spot-fixing scandal of 2013 rose to limelight during the sixth edition of the lucrative Indian Premier League, where players, officials and administrators were alleged to be involved in corrupt practices, that included match-fixing.

So far, two of the accused, former India fast bowler S Sreesanth, and Ankeet Chavan, who played for the Rajasthan Royals franchise, have been handed life bans by the BCCI, while two franchises, the Royals, and the Chennai Super Kings have been suspended from the IPL for two years, for corruption within their administration, following a verdict from the Justice Lodha Committee, that was constituted by the Honourable Supreme Court of India to investigate the scandal.