Sreesanth, teammates sent New Delhi jail

NEW DELHI, May 28, 2013 (AFP) - Indian Test bowler Shanthakumaran Sreesanth and his teammates will be sent to a New Delhi jail after they appeared in court Tuesday on spot-fixing charges as part of an ongoing corruption investigation.


The court ordered Sreesanth and teammate Ajit Chandila to be placed in judicial custody over allegations they deliberately bowled badly in exchange for tens of thousands of dollars during the Indian Premier League, a Twenty20 competition.

Bowler Ankeet Chavan, who was arrested at the same time as his Rajasthan Royals teammates earlier this month, was also sent to jail after having his bail application rejected during a packed and chaotic court session.

"It's not a setback," Sreesanth's lawyer Rebecca John said of the court's decision. "The best part is that he's out of police custody."

The New Delhi court rejected a police application to extend their custody of Sreesanth to allow them more time to investigate the case, instead remanding both players to Tihar jail.

Two bookmakers were also placed in judicial custody, while the court rejected Chavan's request for bail so that he could get married.

"The application seeking extension of police custody is dismissed. He (Sreesanth) is sent to judicial custody till the fourth of June," Judge Lokesh Kumar Sharma told the court.

Sreesanth, who has denied wrongdoing, appeared composed during the court hearing.

Police say the trio were acting under orders from international crime syndicates to deliberately bowl badly in specific overs after striking deals with bookmakers.

Sreesanth, who is the most famous of the three after playing 27 Tests for India, is alleged to have been paid four million rupees (about $75,000) to give away 14 runs in an over in a match against Kings XI Punjab on May 9.

His teammates are said to have agreed to similar deals in two other IPL matches.

The Rajasthan Royals have suspended the contracts of the three players.

Spot-fixing is an illegal activity in which a specific part of a game, but not the result, is fixed.