KOCHI: The Kerala High Court on Monday set aside the lifetime ban imposed on cricketer S Sreesanth by Board of Control for Cricket in India ( BCCI ) alleging engagement in spot-fixing during an Indian Premier League (IPL) match in 2013.

BCCI had continued with the ban despite a Delhi sessions court exonerating him in July 2015.

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Setting aside the lifetime ban and other punishment imposed on Sreesanth, a single bench of the court said BCCI, in its eagerness to uphold the dignity of the game, failed to appreciate the evidence as a whole and instead relied on a piece-meal approach that suited it.

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The court said in the judgment, "When evidence is in the nature of circumstantial evidence, that evidence ought to have been appreciated as a whole. Dissecting evidence in such manner suited to the disciplinary committee resulted in losing its dimension to find out the truth. If evidence as a whole is appreciated, it can easily be concluded that Sreesanth had no direct link in sport fixing or betting."

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In the disciplinary proceedings, BCCI had relied on two sets of evidence collected by police. They were an audio recording of a telephone conversation between Sreesanth's close friend Jiju Janardhanan and a bookie, and a confession allegedly made by Sreesanth to police.

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Though the Delhi court had exonerated the player, BCCI had argued before the high court that these evidences can be accepted by it as the standard of proof required in a disciplinary proceeding is lower than in a criminal proceeding in a court of law.

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Disagreeing with BCCI, the high court pointed out on Monday that no reliance can be placed on the confession made by Sreesanth to police as there is no evidence to prove that it was voluntary and as the player has contended that it was forced out of him.

Regarding the recorded conversation, the court said there is nothing to show Sreesanth's direct role. Even assuming that he had knowledge about the betting, the four-year ban already suffered by him is sufficient, the court said.

However, the court noted that Sreesanth should have publicly taken exception to the conduct of Jiju Janardhanan, who had an active role in the betting. "Complacency in the matter on the part of Sreesanth is really condemnable. To uphold the dignity of the game, he should have publicly disapproved the conduct of Jiju Janardhanan, especially when his name was dragged into controversy," the judgment said.

It was his complacency that resulted in BCCI getting suspicious about his role, the court noted. But nothing further is required in the matter as the player has suffered the ban for almost four years now, the court added.



In Video: BCCI ordered to lift lifetime ban on cricketer Sreesanth by Kerala HC