Sreesanth's name in Delhi Police chargesheet alongside Dawood, Chhota Shakeel
This is the first time in more than a decade that Dawood has been named as an accused in any case.
Two months after the arrest of three cricketers for spot-fixing in the Indian Premier League (IPL), the Delhi Police on Tuesday filed a chargesheet naming underworld don Dawood Ibrahim and his aide Chhota Shakeel as the fountainheads of the fixing and betting racket in India. (Also read: Court order catches BCCI on sticky wicket, Jagmohan Dalmiya ponders what's next)
This is the first time in more than a decade that Dawood has been named as an accused in any case. The 6,000-page charge sheet names a total of 39 persons as accused for offences of cheating and conspiracy under sections of the Indian Penal Code and provisions of Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA). 10 of the accused are absconding. (Read: I don't want to say anything on Bombay High Court order, says N Srinivasan)
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The charge sheet, filed before link Additional Sessions Judge Vinay Kumar Khanna, said that as per the Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL) report on call intercepts, one of the voices has been identified as that of Dawood and a witness has identified the underworld don's voice and number.
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Other accused in the case include Rajasthan Royals cricketers S Sreesanth, Ajit Chandila and Ankit Chavan, who were arrested in May on the basis of phone conversations and footage of IPL matches where they were caught giving predetermined signals to bookies. (Read: Jagmohan Dalmiya set to be re-elected CAB president unopposed)
While Sreesanth and Chavan are out on bail, Chandila remains in custody.
The Delhi Police has moved court for the cancellation of bail granted to Sreesanth, Chavan and 19 others. They have also got non-bailable warrants against Dawood and Chota Shakeel.
The chargesheet includes phone conversations, voice sample reports, forensic reports and confessional statements.
The chargesheet was filed just days before N Srinivasan returns to the post of BCCI president, which he was forced to temporarily relinquish following allegations of betting and fixing against his son-in-law, Gurunath Meiyappan.