The Hindu : Sport : Best legal support for Harbhajan: Pawar

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Best legal support for Harbhajan: Pawar

Principal Correspondent

KOLKATA: The Board of Control for Cricket in India will put all its might to ‘get justice’ for the beleaguered spinner Harbhajan Singh.

The BCCI President Sharad Pawar made clear the Indian board’s stand here on Friday, saying that he will see to it that the Indian player gets the best of legal support when the ICC starts the hearing on the appeal against the ban imposed on him.

Fight for justice

“Our effort will be to fight, plead and get justice for Harbhajan and the country,” said Mr. Pawar.

He said a committee, comprising BCCI President-elect Sashank Manohar, Treasurer N. Srinivasan and Arun Jaitley, has been constituted to handle Harbhajan’s case.

He said the board has authorised them to take all the decisions so that the case is properly handled. “If necessary we will employ someone from abroad,” he added.

No comments made

The BCCI President said he is convinced that Harbhajan did not make any racist comments. His conviction was rooted in the assurance he received from former Indian captain Sachin Tendulkar.

“I have asked Sachin. He told me there was tension, there was provocation but he (Harbhajan) had not made any comment of racist nature,” Mr. Pawar said.

The BCCI president said that the “sincerity, honesty and dedication to the game” shown by players like Sachin, Sourav (Ganguly), Rahul (Dravid) and (Anil) Kumble is unquestionable and “I have to believe what they say.”

Mr. Pawar also reminded that the country had always fought against racism.

Reference to Mahatma

Citing the example of Mahatma Gandhi “who started the movement against racism in South Africa”, Mr. Pawar recalled BCCI’s stand of boycotting South Africa on similar grounds. “In such a background we are not prepared to accept the charges of racism at all,” he added.

About the issue relating to the performance of umpire Steve Bucknor, Mr. Pawar said the decision to remove him from the series was made by the ICC.

“As per the ICC constitution no country can demand the change of an umpire. I wrote to ICC to consider and take an appropriate decision. I’m glad that ICC was prompt in its decision,” he said.

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