BHOPAL, 7 February 2003 — Mohammad Azharuddin, the most successful former Indian cricket captain, has charged that he was accorded a raw deal while banning him for life from playing cricket on the alleged charge of match-fixing.
The whole inquiry into the match-fixing episode by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), which implicated him, was pre-determined and an eyewash, he alleged.
Azharuddin made the above allegations, according to agencies, during the cross examination by counsel for BCCI and others on Wednesday in a Hyderabad civil court. He repeatedly told the second Additional Chief Judge M. Vijayalakshmi, that former CBI Director Madhavan, who probed into match-fixing allegations, frequently consulted his counsel and leaked out all the information furnished by him. That had put him to awkward situations.
“A C Muthaiah (then BCCI president) and Madhavan had pre-decided to implicate me in match-fixing case and the entire disciplinary proceeding, conducted at the instance of Muthaiah, was as an eyewash,” Azhar told BCCI counsels during the cross-examination. He alleged that Madhavan, appointed by BCCI to probe the match-fixing case, had also turned down his request to take the assistance of a lawyer during the inquiry proceedings conducted at Hyderabad.
As a layman he could not understand the questions put to him. But, he had to answer all of them. The great cricketer said that he did not have the freedom when BCCI counsel Adinarayana Rao asked him whether any notice was served on him before conducting the inquiry and whether he was allowed to answer the queries put by Madhavan in a free and fair atmosphere.
While replying to the questions during the one-hour cross-examination, the former Indian captain said that Madhavan was a practicing lawyer and he was working for Muthaiah. Madhavan was prejudiced against him and was not fair. Azharuddin said he did not think so when asked whether he thought that Madhavan did not have requisite qualifications of being independent, fair and knowledge to conduct the disciplinary proceedings.
However, the questions put to him showed that Madhavan lacked adequate knowledge for conducting the disciplinary proceedings. He pointed out that his income tax returns and other confidential materials given with a request that they should not be leaked were in the newspapers later.
The former captain regretted that by his tact and design Madhavan had always made him to defend his case rather than furnish any information to him.
Madhavan had also turned down Azharuddin’s request for taking the assistance of a lawyer during his examination. However, Azharuddin candidly admitted that he had not produced any documentary proof to suggest the relationship of the advocate and client between Madhavan and Muthaiah.
Adinarayana Rao cross examined Azharuddin on behalf of BCCI, Sanjay Joshi on behalf of Madhavan and Suryanarayana on behalf of Muthaiah. The additional chief judge posted the case for further hearing today.
