Referee, IOA official released from custody

Pande goes by the designation of former Joint Secretary IOA (“I resigned recently”), and was here with another IOA official Rajukumar Sacheti, who declared to the waiting media at the Sheriff’s Courts that both officials would be released and be free to return home.

It was a dramatic turnaround from the morning when both cases were due to come up at the Sheriff’s Court No.4, with both names on a list of those arrested over the weekend who were required to be presented before the judge. Virender Malik had been at the Stewart Street police station, while Mehta was to be brought in from London Road Police Station. The two IOA officials stayed put in the waiting rooms, while legal aide Harnek Monon had submitted an application to act as interpreter and was sitting inside the court. However, by 3 pm, Pande stepped out and confirmed that both officials would be released.

“In Mr Mehta’s case, he was coming back from a party thrown by Gymnastics federation and he tried to drive his friend’s car for just a short distance, and had a small accident. No crime was found. It was nothing more,” Pande said. However, sources within IOA said that he was carrying neither a license nor any insurance. “It has nothing to do with drunk driving, the case was reported as ‘assault’” a police spokeswoman had insisted.

On Virender Malik, he said, “That was also a confusion. Just some language problem. He was patting the reception attendant on her back at his hotel. But they had nothing against him, he will be released,” Pande said. Those at Queen’s Margaret Residence, the university hostel, where Malik was put up, and arrested late into Friday night, just hours before he was to return home alongwith another wrestling referee, remained tight-lipped. The police had come in post-midnight and detained him, not explaining the circumstances to the other referee. It was listed as an “assault” though.

Diplomatic channels

A legal worker at the Sheriff’s Court said on condition of anonymity that extensive diplomatic channels were used to prevail upon the Procurator’s Fiscal, the prosecuting arm of the Strathclyde Police of Glasgow. Two officials from the consulate at Edinburgh, also left the court premises hurriedly, confirming that both Indian men would be released.

“Most such cases which involve internationals never reach the court. Recently an Australian case was dispensed of with a fine of 400 pounds,” the court source said, though a Papua New Guinea lifter’s case of sexual assault is still going on with a hearing scheduled for next week. “India used their diplomatic intervention,” he said, adding that it was not possible for cases first described as “assault” to be dropped in a hurry.

The court however maintained till 4.30 pm that owing to a long list of arrests over the weekend, the paperwork had taken long. “The papers are not ready,” a clerk at the court said, adding that it was up to the Coroner’s office (at the Procurator Fiscal) to press charges. The Coroner’s office could not be reached despite repeated attempts. The negative fallout of the case though was the huge embarrassment suffered by the Indians in Glasgow, with the athletes’ good showing to finish in 5th position overshadowed by the two detained officials.