Hansie Cronje match fixing case: After 24 years, court orders framing of charges against 4 people

New Delhi: A court in the capital Delhi has ordered to frame charges of criminal conspiracy and fraud against four people after almost 24 years on the charges of fixing the international cricket match between India and South Africa in 2000. Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Neha Priya gave this order against Rajesh Kalra, Krishan Kumar of T-Series company, Sunil Dara and Sanjeev Chawla. An FIR was registered against them in Chanakyapuri police station.

The court framed the charges
Referring to the evidence produced before it, the court said that the chain of events, record of conversations, conduct and surrounding circumstances show that Kalra, Kumar and Dara were involved in the deals entered into by Chawla with Hansie Crony (deceased and one of the accused) and leads to the inference that they were acting in connivance and were co-partners in the main object of fixing cricket matches for financial gain.

A 68-page order was issued in the court
The court, in its 68-page order passed on July 11, concluded that there was sufficient material on record to frame charges against the four for the offences under Sections 420 (cheating) read with Sections 120B (criminal conspiracy) and 120B of the Indian Penal Code.

The call was also intercepted
Examining the transcript of the call intercepts, the court said that it was revealed that during this period, 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 Chawla from Crony), fixed team score/individual scores agreed with Hansie Crony, amount to be wagered, pooling of money, margin if the players do not perform as per the agreed plan, transaction of money during betting/match fixing etc.

‘Cricket is a game of uncertainty’
The court said that the adage that truth is stranger than fiction is truer in the case of cricket than any other sport and the only thing predictable about the game was its unpredictability. In fact, one of the reasons for such staggering popularity of cricket is the element of uncertainty and the lack of predictability of results, even by experts. If this aspect of the game is taken out of the equation and if spectators know that the result is predetermined, there will be no interest in watching the match.

Regarding the argument of the counsel for the accused that match fixing is not a crime in the country, the court said, “If the alleged acts of match fixing fulfil the elements of the offence under Section 420 of the Indian Penal Code, such acts cannot escape the clutches of the said law merely for the absence of a specific law.”