Bhardwaj questions Madhavan's credentials

Onkar Singh

Former India cricket captain Mohammad Azharuddin will move the appropriate court against the Board of Control for Cricket in India's decision to ban him for life, for his alleged involvement in the match-fixing scandal, next week.

"We have not yet decided which court to move. Whether to move the High Court or lower court, and also whether the writ should be filed in Delhi, Hyderabad or Mumbai," former Minister for Law and Justice in the Rajiv Gandhi government H R Bhardwaj told rediff.com.

Bhardwaj questioned the credentials of K Madhavan to hold an inquest on behalf of the BCCI for any misconduct on part of the banned players.

"The board, under its rules and regulations, has no power to delegate authority to any other person. Only the BCCI is competent to hold disciplinary proceedings against the players, because the players work for the board. The entire proceedings that have been conducted by K Madhavan are illegal," Bhardwaj said.

According to him, the BCCI is resorting to theatrics only to divert the attention of the media from its own misdeeds.

Bhardwaj said Azhar has been in touch with him through his counsel, T Jagdish of Hyderabad.

"He came to me when the CBI called him for a meeting. I told him to go to the CBI and meet the officers. Later he met me twice, and each time I told him to attend the meetings with Madhavan and the BCCI. He is being persecuted for no fault of his. How can the government take back the award which had been given to him for his contribution to cricket long ago? We will fight the case in the court of law and get him justice," he said.

He questioned the motives of Sports Minister Uma Bharti to hold out such a threat. "The government could have appointed a retired judge or civil servant to hold an inquest that was open to public; like the South African government did by appointing the King Commission, where the accused was given a chance to defend himself, and not asking someone to talk to the players behind closed doors and tell them something and the media right the opposite," charged Bhardwaj.

He refused to go into the merits of the case but promised to get back to the media the moment the writ is ready to be filed in the court.

Meanwhile, officials of the CBI are amused at the way Madhavan is conducting his proceedings in the match-fixing case at the behest of the BCCI. "Maybe, he did not get time to talk to the players before. Let us see what he does come up with now," said an official with a huge smile on his face.

Sources in the sports ministry said they have taken note of the tainted players' threat to go court against the government's decision to withdraw the Arjuna awards conferred on them.

"The sports minister had taken the legal opinion of the Solicitor General of India before talking to the media. There are certain provisions under which the awards given by the government can be withdrawn. Let them go to the court, they will be the ones who will feel uncomfortable about it," said a senior functionary in the Ministry of Law and Justice.

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