IPL spot-fixing case: Rajasthan Royals player becomes witness

Rajasthan Royals player Siddharth Trivedi today recorded his statement before a Delhi court in connection with the IPL spot-fixing scandal, in which his teammates S Sreesanth, Ajit Chandila and Ankeet Chavan are arrested.
His statement assumes importance as the court sources said he is understood to have revealed some more names for their alleged involvement in the scandal.
Trivedi's statement recorded under Section 164 of CrPC before Metropolitan Magistrate Gaurav Rao in his chamber would be considered as confession made during the probe and would be used by the prosecution to support its case in the trial.
The statement recorded by a magistrate under Section 164 of CrPC binds the accused/witness against taking any u-turn by him during trial and any such act makes him liable to be prosecuted on charges of perjury.

The documents and the file containing his statement recorded during an hour-long in-chamber proceeding was later kept in a sealed envelope.
30-year-old Trivedi has reportedly claimed that he was also contacted by bookies for accepting money.

The Delhi Police claimed that they contacted Trivedi in connection with the spot-fixing case and they decided to make him a prosecution witness after he agreed for the same.
Sreesanth, Chavan and Chandila were arrested in Mumbai on May 15 by Delhi Police for their alleged involvement in spot- fixing in IPL matches for payments of upto Rs 60 lakh to give away pre-determined number of runs in an over.

The three cricketers, who have been suspended by the BCCI, and the others arrested have been booked under Section 420 (cheating) and 120-B (criminal conspiracy) of IPC.
On May 21, the police had informed the court that Section 409 of IPC, which deals with criminal breach of trust and entails a maximum of life imprisonment along with fine, has been invoked against all the accused in the case.
Besides the suspended trio, the Delhi Police has so far arrested 22 more accused in connection with the spot-fixing, who are is judicial custody till June 4.