Trial court adjourns spot-fixing hearing

A trial court in Delhi has adjourned the hearing on framing of charges on the alleged betting and fixing activities of Sreesanth, Ankeet Chavan and Ajit Chandila. The three cricketers had been chargesheeted during the IPL 2013 corruption scandal. The next hearing has been scheduled for July 25.

The Rajasthan Royals trio had been arrested by Delhi Police in May 2013 for allegedly indulging in spot-fixing. Almost two years after the chargesheet was filed, charges against the three cricketers have still not been framed in the court on technical grounds. According to PTI, additional sessions judge Neena Bansal Krishna on Monday said since the order sheet was not prepared, the hearing and framing of charges had to be adjourned.

Last month, Krishna had reserved the order on framing of charges, asking the lawyers of the accused to submit their arguments in writing by June 6. Monday's hearing was set following the submissions by representatives of some of the 39 accused who have been chargesheeted.

The three cricketers were among several individuals arrested in May-June 2013 for their alleged involvement in betting and spot-fixing during the Indian Premier League. While Sreesanth and Chavan were granted bail on June 10 , Chandila had to spend more than three months in prison before he was released on bail.

The BCCI banned Sreesanth and Chavan for life in September 2013, while Chandila's case is pending before the board's disciplinary committee.