Prabhakar refuses to reveal name to Chandrachud

They were closetted for a full hour but at the end of it, both Prabhakar and Chandrachud looked completely at ease. Chandrachud called the meetings and the discussions emanating from them as “informal” and “useful” while Prabhakar, smilingly, said, “I have told him (Chandrachud) everything. You better ask him.”

When asked again if he had disclosed any names, Prabhakar simply smiled and turned towards his lawyer.

After his discussions with Prabhakar, Chandrachud left the Business Centre for another room elsewhere in the Hotel, where Kapil Dev had been asked to wait. The former India captain spent more than an hour with Chandrachud and left in a hurry without talking to the mediamen. Earlier in the morning, Chandrachud spent some time with the correspondent of the weekly magazine, Outlook, in which Prabhakar alleged that he had once been offered Rs 25 lakhs by a teammate to help in `tanking’ a match.

And, what did Chandrachud ask Prabhakar or what did Prabhakar tell him? Did Prabhakar name any player involved in match-fixing? Chandrachud is believed to have tried to persuade Prabhakar into revealing names but the Delhi all-rounder kept parrying away the question, saying it was of no use. And he finally said that his lawyer had advised him against taking any names.

Chandrachud at this stage turned to Nidhesh Gupta, a well-known lawyer handling Prabhakar’s affairs, and asked him, “Why?”

Gupta is believed to have said that in the absence of any concrete evidence, taking names could lead to Manoj Prabhakar being sued for defamation. “As we are unable to prove anything against him (player involved in fixing), it will be easy for him to take us to the court of law for defamation,” he said.

Prabhakar and Chandrachud, in the presence of the lawyer, however, did discuss the article the player had written in the magazine. Chandrachud tried to ask him once again about names and once again the wily all-round refused to succuumb. When asked specifically, if he believed match-fixing went on in Indian cricket, Prabhakar repeated the same incidents as those mentioned in his Outlook article.

UN Bannerjee from Calcutta, a legal advisor of the BCCI, who assited Chandrachud in his discussions with the players, said it was an informal meeting. “We just wanted to find out the veracity and authenticity of the statements of Prabhakar (in the magazine) and the magazine correspondent.”Chandrachud himself took notes on what each of the summoned persons told him during the discussions. “We did not ask them any specific questions. Nor were there any tapes to record their statments,” he added.

Justice Chandrachud said he might call Prabhakar and Kapil Dev again after “talking to more players in Mumbai and other centres.” For the time being, he added, there would be no more inquiries in Delhi.

“As the current players are about to tour Sri Lanka for almost two months, the inquiry may not be completed for sometime. It may be delayed. But surely, it will be given before the end of the year.”