The Twenty20 cricketing extravaganza - Indian Premier League (IPL), has been hit hard after the Delhi police arrested three Rajasthan Royals players and over a dozen bookies last week in connection with the spot-fixing scandal.
The police alleged that three Rajasthan Royals players - S Sreesanth, Ankeet Chavan and Ajit Chandila, were paid in terms of millions to under perform in an over. The cricketers had reportedly admitted to their involvement in the betting scandal during the interrogation. They have been charged under section 240 (cheating) and 120B (criminal conspiracy) of Indian Penal Code (IPC).
Here are 10 new developments in the IPL spot-fixing scandal:
1) The Mumbai Crime Branch Police on Thursday arrived in Chennai to question Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Chennai Super Kings (CSK) CEO Gurunath Meiyappan, sparking off speculations if he is involved in the scandal that has rocked the sports world.
2) Gurunath Meiyappan has been asked to appear before the police by 5 pm on Friday. The Mumbai police have turned down Meiyappan's request to extend the time till Monday.
3) Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) chief N Srinivasan, who owns Chennai Super Kings (CSK), is under pressure to resign after the arrest of his son-in-law and CEO of CSK Gurunath Meiyappan in connection with spot-fixing scandal. However, he refused to step down.
4) IPL chairman and union minister Rajeev Shukla, who had met Law Minister Kapil Sibal over the scandal, defended N Srinivasan, saying he need not step down as BCCI chief because of the misdeed of someone close to his family. He however said that everyong found guilty should be punished.
5) Vindoo Dara Singh, who was arrested on Tuesday for his alleged links with bookies connected to spot-fixing, reportedly told the investigating team that he has been in touch with the CSK CEO for a few months. He even claimed that Meiyappan invited him to one of the IPL matches in Chennai this season and watched a match along with MS Dhoni's wife Sakshi.
6) It is reported that Vindoo revealed during the interrogation that a few Bollywood personalities are linked with the spot-fixing scandal. However, the police have not revealed the names as the small-time actor's claim needs to be verified.
7) Cricketer-turned-bookie Amit Shah claimed during an interrogation that one of the matches between RR and Delhi Daredevils in IPL 5 might have been fixed, thus putting a few players under the scanner. However, police are cautious as the revelation was made by a person facing prosecution. There is no legal standing on the claims unless it is placed before court.
8) The Delhi Police have sought the access to cricketer Sreesanth's belongings recovered in his hotel room by the Mumbai police. They are likely to file a production warrant to their counterparts in Mumbai if they are denied access to the cricketer's items.
9) BCCI suspended Rajasthan Royals players - S Sreesanth, Ankeet Chavan and Ajit Chandila, over their alleged involvement in the spot-fixing. The Rajasthan Royals also suspended them over the scandal.
10) A Public Interest Litigation (PIL) was filed seeking discontinuation of all remaining matches of the IPL until the probe into the spot-fixing scandal comes to an end, but the Supreme Court turned down the plea. However, the apex court slammed the BCCI for its apathetic attitude towards the irregularities around the IPL and directed the cricketing body's one-man commission, which was appointed to look into the issues concerning IPL, to submit its report within two weeks.
