Bombay HC wants progress report from cops on match-fixing probe

The Bombay high court has given the Mumbai police crime branch 27 days to submit a progress report in the alleged match-fixing and betting cases in the 2013 Indian Premier League (IPL) matches.

The bench of Justices Abhay Oka and P.D. Naik asked the crime branch to submit the progress report of investigations made by them on April 27, when the next hearing will be held.

It also directed investigation officer Nandkumar Goplae to be present on that day.

The crime branch has been investigatng the alleged match-fixing and betting cases in the 2013 IPL matches. Activist Ketan Tirodkar has moved a PIL seeking a joint probe by CBI, Income Tax Department and Enforcement Directorate in this matter. The court has also asked the police to inform what steps it had taken to nab the accused in the case.

In its affidavit filed before the HC, police has said that it had arrested 22 accused, including bookies, in this case, and said they would make further investigations and file supplementary chargesheet.

Mr Tirodkar demanded that CBI be directed to register a case of cheating against players and bookies, who had allegedly developed a nexus with vested interests for “fixing matches or promoting betting in IPL matches.”

The PIL alleged that offences had been committed in the context of match-fixing during IPL 2013 and also sought a direction to the ED, IT Department as well as Mumbai police and Delhi police to cooperate with the CBI, which should take up the role of coordinating these investigations. According to the PIL, when the IPL scam occurred in 2013, names of some bookies had cropped up during investigations, conducted separately by the Delhi and Mumbai police.

A central and independent agency like the CBI must be directed to probe the alleged cricket match-fixing and betting, it said.