Muthiah: Punish the guilty, don't harass the innocent

The president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India AC Muthiah said late on Thursday night that if all the steps taken by the investigative agencies were going to bring out the truth, then it's a welcome step.

In a statement from Tuticorin in Tamil Nadu, Muthiah said ``the guilty must be punished but at the same time the innocent should not be harassed.''

Welcoming the government decision on the raids, Muthiah wanted the agencies to take the investigation to its logical conclusion as early as possible. ``The board has been very transparent and has given the investigative agencies every document they have asked. The department should come out with the truth behind the inquiry as early as possible. If they leave the probe open ended, it could cause irreparable damage to the game''

In Phagwara, former CBI Director Joginder Singh said nothing would come out of the CBI investigation into match-fixing charges as "not a single complaint had been filed by anybody." Talking to reporters, he said "prima facie there does not appear to be violation of any law" in the alleged match-fixing. However, he said, tainted players should step aside on their own on moral grounds.