No action against Mohammed Shami until chargesheet is received says BCCI

Mumbai: The Alipore Court has issued an arrest warrant against Indian cricketer Mohammed Shami and his brother Hasid Ahmed in connection with domestic violence case filed by his wife Hasin Jahan. The Court has given Shami 15 days to surrender and apply for his bail.

However, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has clearly told the Court that no action will be taken against the bowler till they see the charge sheet. In an interview with the IANS, a BCCI functionary has stated that it was too early to take any action in the matter and a decision can only be taken once the BCCI receives the charge sheet.

The functionary stated, “Yes, we do understand that an arrest warrant has been issued. But don’t really see us getting involved in this at this point in time. Once we see the charge sheet, we can decide how things stand and if the BCCI constitution calls for any action. But at this point in time, I would say it is too early to take a call on the matter.”

The BCCI functionary was also asked whether the same pattern would be followed wherein Shami’s contract was withheld by the Committee of Administrators (CoA) in 2018. The functionary in reply said during that time it had more to do with the allegations of fixing made by Hashin in her complaint.

“That was different. There were allegations that Shami had indulged in fixing games. So, the CoA felt that it was only fair that then ACU (Anti-Corruption Unit) chief Neeraj Kumar looked into the claims and submitted a report before Shami was handed his contract. The ACU chief had cleared him of any wrongdoing on the cricketing front after which he was handed his contract.

“This time round, it is more a case of domestic violence. As things stand now, his contract doesn’t need to be terminated. I am sure Shami will do the needful once he is back in the country after the second Test against the West Indies ends,” the functionary stated.