Gurunath Meiyappan’s betting role confirmed?
NEW DELHI : According to call data records of the IPL spot-fixing case, there were 200 calls made between Vindoo Dara Singh, bookie Vikarm Aggarwal and Gurunath Meiyappan in just three days, as per media reports.
It also stated that Meiyappan, son-in-law of ICC boss N Srinivasan had procured mobile sim cards by submitting fake documents for the purpose of cricket betting.Few days back the Forensic Science Laboratory in Mumbai had identified the voice of Meiyappan in a tapped phone conversation. According to multiple media reports, Meiyappan was heard talking Vindoo Dara Singh, an accomplice in this case.
Meiyappan had already been chargesheeted and has even spent time in jail last year. Reports also mentioned involvement of other bookies in the IPL betting scam.The spot fixing and betting scandal hit the 2013 edition of IPL, with Delhi Police arresting three Rajasthan Royals cricketers – S. Sreesanth, Ajit Chandila and Ankeet Chavan – in a midnight raid in Mumbai.
Last October, the apex court had constituted the Justice Mukul Mudgal panel to investigate the spot-fixing and betting case in the case-rich IPL. The three-member panel led by Justice Mudgal, a retired Punjab and Haryana High Court judge, has Additional Solicitor General L Nageswara Rao and senior advocate Nilay Dutta in the committee.
And on February 10, the committee submitted its first report to the court after conducting a four-month long probe. It is learnt that cricketers, board officials, cops, lawyers and even journalists had deposed before the panel and depositions were recorded during the probe on equipment provided by BCCI.
In the follow up, the court had asked the committee to continue its investigation of the persons named in the sealed envelope and the committee was also given greater powers to effectively conduct its probe. After agreeing to lead the investigation, Justice (Retired) Mudgal had listed for specific organisations and individuals whose assistance he would require, which included a former India cricketer “of repute and integrity”.
The Mudgal committee will submit its final report to the apex court at the end of this month, and the hearing will start on November 10.
