The Hindu : Front Page : Harbhajan Singh cleared of racism charge

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Wednesday, Jan 30, 2008
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Harbhajan Singh cleared of racism charge

S. Dinakar

Admits to using abusive language, fined 50 per cent of Sydney match fee; tour will continue

— Photo: AP

BEFORE THE VERDICT: Australian cricketers (from left) Ricky Ponting, Michael Clarke, Andrew Symonds and Matthew Hayden, along with Harbhajan Singh, Indian team media manager M.V. Sridhar and Sachin Tendulkar, prior to the start of the appeal hearing in the Adelaide Federal Court, which cleared the Indian off-spinner of racism charge on Tuesday.

Adelaide: On an eventful Tuesday of consensus and pragmatism, Indian off-spinner Harbhajan Singh was cleared of the charge of racially abusing Australian all-rounder Andrew Symonds during the second Test in Sydney. The Indian cricket team will continue its tour of Australia.

Indian captain Anil Kumble said in the evening: “Cricket is the winner here and the joint effort of Cricket Australia and the BCCI should be applauded. The issue was lingering even as cricket was being played over the last two weeks. The dignity and pride of Indian cricket has been maintained.”

Appeals Commissioner Justice John Hansen, acting on a joint statement from the Indian and Australian camps tendered as an agreement of facts, reduced Harbhajan’s sentence (for an offence) from Section 3.3 of the ICC Code of Conduct to Section 2.8, which pertained to the use of offensive or abusive language but which was not racist in nature.

Harbhajan was fined 50 per cent of his match fee by Justice Hansen but the three-Test ban imposed on him by match referee Mike Procter was lifted. He will reveal his reasons for arriving at the verdict on Wednesday.

‘Captains satisfied’

A joint media release by Cricket Australia and the BCCI said: “Harbhajan Singh and Andrew Symonds said they had resolved the on-field issue between them in Sydney and now intend to move on.” The statement added both captains were satisfied with the outcome between their players.

Harbhajan pleaded guilty to using abusive language but maintained he had not made a racist remark. The Aussie camp did not press its earlier charge of a level 3.3 offence.

As Kumble acknowledged, this was a fitting response to India withdrawing a level three charge against spinner Brad Hogg ahead of the third Test at Perth.

An ICC statement said Justice Hansen, on the basis of all evidence submitted before him, was convinced that a level 3.3 offence against Harbhajan could not be proved. The proceedings in the Federal Court here lasted more than five hours.

Significantly, Sachin Tendulkar arrived at the venue with Cricket Australia chairman Creagh O’ Connor. Harbhajan was accompanied by Indian team media manager M.V. Sridhar.

Australian cricketers Symonds, Michael Clarke, Matthew Hayden and skipper Ricky Ponting testified before Justice Hansen.

Brian Ward was the counsel for the Australian cricketers and advocate V.R. Manohar represented the Indian players through video from Mumbai.

The new evidence from stump microphones, where Clarke complains to the umpires and Hayden tells Harbhajan that his words to Symonds are racist in nature, proved inconclusive. There is no footage of Harbhajan uttering a racist word after the sound from the stump microphones was digitally separated from all other noises.

Speculation

Despite the smiles at the end, it was a day that seemed headed in a different direction. The cricketers joining the side for the Twenty20 game at the MCG and the subsequent ODI tri-series were asked by the BCCI to leave Melbourne and proceed to Adelaide.

The move fuelled speculation on the Indian team departing for home if the Procter verdict on Harbhajan stayed. The first sign of the issue being resolved amicably came at 4 p.m. when Harbhajan, along with a beaming Sridhar, waved to the media from the third floor of the court building.

Soon Peter Young, who heads Public Affairs for Cricket Australia, said the Indian team would travel to Melbourne on Wednesday.

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