Raj Kundra writes to Manohar, says he was denied fair hearing
Raj Kundra says he is more sinned against than sinning. In a letter to Shashank Manohar, Kundra, the former co-owner of the Rajasthan Royals team, has claimed that he was pronounced ‘guilty’ without being given a proper opportunity to defend himself. He has also questioned the findings of the Mudgal Committee.
“I am seriously aggrieved and hurt by the manner in which my guilt has been pronounced, stamped and sealed without providing me a fair opportunity to clear my name. The entire process has damaged my reputation beyond repair, and given an opportunity to all and sundry to throw a figurative stone on me whenever they feel like doing so,” Kundra said in a letter to the BCCI president.
Pleading with Manohar to lift sanctions against RR, Kundra confirmed a Mirror report of him surrendering his stake in the team. “I would also like to mention that my purchase of the shareholding in Rajasthan Royals was purely out of the love for the game that I and my family have, and not for any business or profit motive. For this reason, I have already forfeited my shareholding in Rajasthan Royals, so that the team and the franchise may not suffer on my account of my presence in their ranks,” he wrote in a mail addressed to Manohar’s official email id.
“Such allegations (of betting) were first levelled against me by the Delhi Police in June 2013, who, upon realizing that there was no merit in such allegations did not pursue the issue at all.
“Despite that, the Mudgal Committee constituted by the Supreme Court to enquire into similar allegations against myself (along with Mr. Meiyappan) concluded and held – in their second report dated 01.11.2014 – that I was guilty of betting and therefore was in breach of Rules and Codes of the BCCI. I am till date not aware of the basis of such conclusions being arrived at by the Mudgal Committee, since I was only provided with a redacted version of the said report containing only its conclusions but not any of its discussions, analysis or reasoning,” he said.
“I am seriously aggrieved and hurt by the manner in which my guilt has been pronounced, stamped and sealed without providing me a fair opportunity to clear my name. The entire process has damaged my reputation beyond repair, and given an opportunity to all and sundry to throw a figurative stone on me whenever they feel like doing so,” Kundra said in a letter to the BCCI president.
Pleading with Manohar to lift sanctions against RR, Kundra confirmed a Mirror report of him surrendering his stake in the team. “I would also like to mention that my purchase of the shareholding in Rajasthan Royals was purely out of the love for the game that I and my family have, and not for any business or profit motive. For this reason, I have already forfeited my shareholding in Rajasthan Royals, so that the team and the franchise may not suffer on my account of my presence in their ranks,” he wrote in a mail addressed to Manohar’s official email id.
Kundra, banned for life by the Supreme Court for betting during the IPL matches, denied being involved in wrongdoing and claimed that there was no merit in the charges levelled against him.
“Such allegations (of betting) were first levelled against me by the Delhi Police in June 2013, who, upon realizing that there was no merit in such allegations did not pursue the issue at all.
“Despite that, the Mudgal Committee constituted by the Supreme Court to enquire into similar allegations against myself (along with Mr. Meiyappan) concluded and held – in their second report dated 01.11.2014 – that I was guilty of betting and therefore was in breach of Rules and Codes of the BCCI. I am till date not aware of the basis of such conclusions being arrived at by the Mudgal Committee, since I was only provided with a redacted version of the said report containing only its conclusions but not any of its discussions, analysis or reasoning,” he said.
