Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Naina Priya framed charges against Sanjeev Chawla, Krishan Kumar, Rajesh Kalra, and Sunil Dara. (Representational Image)
New Delhi: Twenty-four years after the infamous cricketing scandal broke out, a Delhi court has recently framed charges in the alleged match-fixing that happened during the India-South Africa cricket series played in India in 2000. Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Naina Priya framed charges against Sanjeev Chawla, Krishan Kumar, Rajesh Kalra, and Sunil Dara.
In February 2020, Sanjeev Chawla was extradited from the UK. Krishan Kumar is the brother of late T-Series owner Gulshan Kumar.
On July 11, the Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate framed charges against the four accused under sections of cheating and criminal conspiracy.
In 2000, the Delhi Police had named South Africa cricket team captain Hansie Cronje as an accused. However, in June 2002, he died in a mysterious plane crash. In 2013, the Delhi Police filed a chargesheet in the match-fixing case and put Hansie Cronje’s name in column B.
While framing the charges, the court said, “It has been disclosed from the call details and recordings that the accused persons were in constant touch with each other discussing various facets of match-fixing and betting. The frequency increased closer to the matches. The transcripts of their call intercepts reveal that during this time, they discussed the team composition for the next upcoming match in a series of matches between South Africa and India (based on the information received by accused Sanjeev Chawla from accused Hansie Cronje); the fixed team scores/individual scores as agreed with accused Hansie Cronje; amount of money to be placed on bets; pooling of money; their odds if the players don’t perform as per the agreed plan; money transactions during betting/match fixing.”
The court also noted that Sanjeev Chawla is the main mastermind in the infamous cricket match-fixing racket of 2000.
In its order, the court said, “Accused no. 4 Sanjeev Chawla emerges as the main conspirator and the mastermind behind the offence of cheating. He played the most active role and acted as the crucial link between accused no. 6 Hansie Cronje and the other accused persons. He engaged in negotiations and conversations with accused no. 6 Hansie Cronje for manipulating the result of the matches, involving other team players, deciding the payment for accused no. 6 Hansie Cronje and the other players, and constantly following up with accused no. 6 Hansie Cronje over calls as well as through personal meetings. He moved around with accused no. 6 Hansie Cronje as his shadow for most part of the tournament by staying in the same hotels as accused no. 6 Hansie Cronje throughout the tour. Even when he was out of the country, he was in constant touch over the phone.”
After the match-fixing scandal broke out, the South African government appointed the King’s Commission and Hansie Cronje was deposed before it and admitted his alleged role in the match-fixing.
In the court order, the Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate pointed out that Chawla knew all the details of the matches that were to be played. “The manner of conversations between accused no. 4 Sanjeev Chawla @ Sanjay and accused no. 6 Hansie Cronje, as revealed in the audio recordings, is both casual as well as professional at the same time. Casual, in terms of the pleasantries and the jokes being shared (including qua the players of the Indian cricket team) and professional in terms of fixing the match/individual scores considering all factors such as the composition of the opposite team, the caliber of the players likely to play from the other side, etc., payment to be done including the mode of payment, terms and conditions thereof, and related permutations and combinations. The deals fixed with accused no. 6 Hansie Cronje are onward shared with the other accused persons, who then proceed to further discuss it amongst themselves and place bets accordingly,” the court added.
