IPL spot fixing: Cops moves Delhi High Court against discharge of accused

NEW DELHI: After miserably failing in trial court, police today moved the Delhi High Court challenging the clean chit given to all the accused, including India's test discard S Sreesanth and two other cricketers Ajit Chandila and Ankeet Chavan, in the sensational 2013 IPL-6 spot-fixing case.

Delhi Police filed an appeal against the trial court's July 25 verdict which said investigators had failed to gather "all necessary ingredients to establish a prima facie case" under the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA).

The trial court had dropped all charges against 36 accused by holding that the Special Cell of Delhi Police has been unable to establish any "nexus" or link between the accused and crime syndicate allegedly run by underworld don Dawood Ibrahim and his close aid Chhota Shakeel who were declared proclaimed offenders in the case along with one Sandeep.

Three other accused -- Javed Chutani, Salman and Ehtesham -- were Pakistani nationals and never came in the hands of the police.

Assailing the verdict, the appeal contended that the trial court had erroneously interpreted the law pertaining to MCOCA and its order was unsustainable.

Delhi Police submitted that the logic and conclusions arrived for discharging the accused was not correct.

Further, it said the trial court had erred completely in interpreting the provisions of MCOCA dealing with syndicate crime and the manner in which the issue on framing of charges have been discussed, which needed to be looked into again.