Chennai, July 16: BCCI-appointed commissioner to investigate match fixing and betting in cricket, K Madhavan, has challenged the arbitrator's award quashing the 5-year ban on Ajay Jadeja and urged the Madras High Court to set aside the order. In his petition filed recently, he has contended that the award by the arbitrator was against law, weight of evidence and probabilities of the case and was liable to be set aside. The petition cited Ajay Jadeja as the first respondent, BCCI second respondent, and the three disciplinary committee members of the BCCI -- A C Muthiah, Kamal Morarka and K Ram Prasad -- as third respondents.

Maintaining that the award had been passed in "gross breach" of principles of natural justice as he was not given a full hearing in the matter, Madhavan has said that in effect, he was prevented from effectively presenting his case. Taking objection to the recording of notes of evidence by the arbitrator's steno, he said there was deletion of evidence which was damaging to Jadeja as recorded in the BCCI's application for correcting evidence and recalling Jadeja as a witness.

The petition said in the course of his cross-examination, Jadeja had categorically stated that he owned only one property and although this was recorded by the arbitrator's steno at the hearing, it was deleted from the notes of evidence. Bureau Report