Events in the past few days on the match-fixing front can only confirm what is already known - there can be no early end to the biggest scandal to hit the game. The Indian government and the Board of Control for Cricket in India on the one hand and the cricketers and their lawyers on the other seem set on a collision course which can only prolong the controversy.

Indian Sports Minister Uma Bharti, always known as one to speak out her mind, in a virtual policy statement has said that match-fixing would be made a criminal offence under a proposal initiated by her ministry. "My Ministry has already initiated a proposal to make match-fixing an offence and this has already been sent to the Law Ministry," she said.

Bharti, never one to mince words, said firmly "the match-fixing issue does not become a closed one after we take action against the guilty. As far as I am concerned, I will not rest till this malaise is completely rooted out from sports."

The Sports Minister said that she was committed to bringing reforms in the various fields associated with sports and one of the important tasks was to see that such heinous crimes do not recur. "I have to take steps to see that players never indulge in match-fixing," she added.

Referring to speculation among the legal fraternity that match-fixing fell under the provision of gambling or cheating, Bharti said "match-fixing is not an ordinary offence to be equated with cheating or gambling. Through this, the country's prestige is being put at stake for a few bucks," she said adding the response from the Law Ministry was awaited.

It may also be recalled that the government had said it would ask the tainted players to return the Arjuna awards. These annual awards are given for excellence in sports. The government gave the players 15 days to explain their position. But none of the affected players - Mohd Azharuddin, Ajay Jadeja and Manoj Prabhakar - turned up before the one man committee appointed for the purpose.

Bharti however said that though the cricketers did not personally appear before the panel, they all have sent their replies. "While Jadeja sought a week's time, Azharuddin said that he was considering approaching the court to appeal against the ban order," Bharti said adding that the Ministry was examining the replies and a decision regarding the course of action to be adopted against them would be decided by Tuesday.

Bharti also confirmed that it was decided to send the notices to the players for the withdrawal of the Arjuna Awards after consulting the Law Ministry and the Attorney General. So all things considered, there seems to be no let up in the government stand of taking a hard line on the issue.

On the other hand, at about the same time as Bharti's statement, came news of Mohd Azharuddin's interview to a national news weekly where he came out with guns blazing. He made a furious counter attack on some of his playing colleagues, the BCCI and the CBI, maintained that he was innocent, said he would not take things lying down and made it clear that he would be successful in the court case he is going to fight against the life ban slapped on him.

The former Indian captain's advocate HR Bhardwaj has also come out strongly in support of his client. According to him, the main ground to be taken before the court in the petition would be to question the legal value of the CBI report. "The CBI followed no established procedure while conducting the probe," said Bhardwaj and added "the CBI report on betting and match fixing was neither an investigation nor a proper inquiry." When told that the BCCI decision was handed down after the board's anti-corruption commissioner K Madhavan endorsed the findings of the CBI report, Bhardwaj is quoted to have said "Mr Madhavan was nobody to conduct the inquiry. He had no jurisdiction to take up such a probe. It is only the cricket board which is authorised to conduct the probe, hence the punishment given to Azharuddin is illegal."

The BCCI however has remained unfazed by such strong words. Board officials have said that they were not worried over the threat by Azharuddin to challenge the life ban in court. Board executive secretary, Sharad Diwadkar has said that "the BCCI is not worried over the matter. We appointed Madhavan to look into the betting and match-fixing scam apart from hiring the services of a few advocates and I think they will do the needful."

The irrepressible JY Lele, not to be left behind, has also come out strongly against the players. "How can they deny that they had no connections with bookmakers," the Board secretary has asked. He added that the CBI report had proved there was a nexus between the players and bookmakers. "The code of conduct clearly states that there should be no connection between players and bookmakers. As the players have violated that code, we have slapped the ban on them," said Lele.

Lele has also said that the BCCI had taken opinions from legal luminaries before proceeding with the decision to ban the players. "The attorney general of India was sitting next to Muthiah (Board president) when we took the decision and he had expressed the opinion that the ban cannot be challenged in any court." And the Board will undoubtedly be encouraged to know that some leading lawyers in Mumbai have expressed the view that it was well within the BCCI's right to impose life ban on any cricketer if it feels that a particular player has violated the terms of contract with them.

All this can only mean one thing. With the battle lines clearly drawn, the longest running soap opera in Indian cricket is all set to spill over to a second year.

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