BackAndhra Pradesh HC lifts ban on Azharuddin from playing cricket
BCCI had imposed the ban in 2000 as per the suggestion of a three-member committee
Premium(Manan Vatsyayana/AFP)
Hyderabad: Twelve years after the Board of Control for Cricket (BCCI) In India imposed a life ban on Mohammad Azharuddin from playing cricket, the Andhra Pradesh high court on Thursday set aside the decision of the cricket body.
A bench of justices Ashutosh Mohanta and Krishna Mohan Reddy gave relief to former Indian skipper-turned-politician Azharuddin, allowing his appeal challenging the order of a local court, which had upheld the decision of BCCI.
The bench lifted the ban agreeing with Azharuddin’s counsel K. Ramakant Reddy’s argument that there was no evidence against the former cricketer that he succumbed to any pressure while playing cricket.
The court also observed that BCCI had proceeded against 49-year-old Azharuddin unilaterally and said the order of the trial court is unsustainable.
The ban was imposed in 2000 by BCCI as per the suggestion of a three-member committee comprising its erstwhile president A.C. Muthaiah and two vice-presidents Kamal Morarka and K.M. Ram Prasad in the wake of allegations of match-fixing against Azharuddin.
In a career spanning about 15 years, Azharuddin, known for his stylish batting, had played 334 one-day internationals (ODIs) and 99 test matches. Azharuddin later made an entry into politics and had won from Moradabad Lok Sabha constituency in Uttar Pradesh on a Congress ticket.
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