New Delhi: Rajasthan Royals co-owner Raj Kundra, who has been suspended for life from cricket activities, on Wednesday said he has been “wronged” while terming it “unfair” that the whole team has been “harshly treated” for the actions of one individual.
Reacting to the three-member Justice Lodha committee’s order handing down punishments to him and his team for his indulging in betting during the 2013 season of IPL, he said his support in the investigation regarding betting “seems to have backfired”.
“Today is a very depressing and sad day for me as my integrity has been questioned and my support in this investigation seems to have backfired,” Kundra said in a statement.
“While I have great respect for the Hon’ble Supreme Court and the judicial system, unfortunately in this case I cannot but feel that I have been wronged,” he said.
Kundra sought disclosure of the evidence that formed the basis of action against him so that he could know the basis on which “they have destroyed my hard-earned reputation.
“I have anyway washed my hands off cricket in India,” he added.
Former CSK team principal Gurunath Meiyappan, who is the son-in-law of ICC Chairman N. Srinivasan, and Kundra, both of whom were earlier found guilty of betting, were suspended for life from any cricketing activity undertaken by the BCCI. The two teams were also suspended for two years from the league.
“I also find it very unfair that the full team, the other owners, the management team, the players and the fans of Rajasthan Royals have been so harshly treated due to the alleged actions of one. However, I am just a minority stakeholder of 11.7 per cent,” he further added.
Kundra, in his statement, also claimed that he always helped the Justice Mukul Mudgal commission in their probe on the issues of betting and spot-fixing related to IPL 2013.
“I have always assisted and helped the Mudgal committee from day one till now. It’s disheartening that, despite there being no evidence whatsoever against me, I was still deemed to be guilty. I have not received till date a copy of their final report, in which sweeping conclusions were recorded against me,” a disappointed Kundra reacted.
“Even the fact that neither the Delhi police nor Rajasthan police found any actionable case against me (for the obvious reasons that there was no evidence or material against me) has been used to make insinuations regarding my guilt for an act I never did.”
