A smiling S. Sreesanth was on TV speaking about his plans to start practising and making his way back into the Indian team after the court exonerated him due to lack of evidence. On social media, Sreesanth’s fans have demonstrated support to their idol through hashtags screaming his innocence, and Kerala politicians have not been far behind. At this moment, the cricket board stepping in to say that his life ban from cricket will stay brings a much-needed reality check.
The exoneration by the court cannot be deemed as a clean chit. It only pulls up Delhi Police for trying to drag Sreesanth into the ambit of the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act and refuses to accept the presence of an “organised crime syndicate” or a link between Sreesanth and Dawood Ibrahim. In fact, Additional Sessions Judge Neena Bansal Krishna cites the “want of appropriate law” to punish the culpable players. In the 175-page verdict, she writes: “This is a case which raises serious concerns about the rampant rot that has set in sports, especially commercial sports, and adequacy of existing laws to deal effectively with the prevailing situation…”
From the curious use of towels as a signal to bookies — Sreesanth had allegedly agreed to give away 14 runs in the second over against Mumbai Indians in an IPL game in Mohali and the towels were part of the pre-arranged procedure — to the money trail, there are unanswered questions and loose ends. Ravi Sawani, the then chief of the BCCI’s Anti Corruption and Security Unit, talked about transcripts of conversations between Sreesanth and an accomplice, Jiju, which allegedly reveal that there was exchange of money and expenditures. In conclusion, Sawani writes: “In view of the ample corroboration available and proven contacts between Jiju and the bookmakers, I am fully convinced that Sreesanth was part of the fix…” While Sawani’s cannot be the last word on the matter, l’áffaire Sreesanth has touched off enough doubts to caution against reading the court’s exoneration as a clean chit.
