MPCA: Court asks woman cricketer to record statement

A local court today directed the woman cricketer, who has accused Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association (MPCA) ex-official Alpesh Shah of sexual harassment, to record her statement under section 164 of CrPc on December 5.
Prosecution has moved an application before the court of Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate (ACJM) Savita Singh requesting that it wanted to record the statement of the complainant under section 164 of CrPC (making it admissible in court as evidence).
While admitting the plea, the court directed the 18-year-old to record her statement before her court on December 5.
In her complaint against Shah, the selection committee coordinator for under-19, the teenager has accused him of behaving in an "obscene manner" with her after calling her to visit him in the Administrative Block of the Holkar Stadium for seeking "special blessings", on September 23.

Shah had dissociated himself from the MPCA post on November 27 when the matter came to the fore.
On the basis of statement of the cricketer, police had registered an FIR under section 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty) of IPC against Shah.

Shah has been evading arrest since then and is untraceable since then, police said.
However, he moved Indore bench of the High Court terming allegations against him as baseless and devoid of facts. The High Court has directed police to submit a status report by obtaining information from officials concerned in the matter by December 4.

Defending Shah, his lawyer Ajay Bagadia said the complaint was lodged by the girl to settle a personal score with Shah as she was not selected for the Under-19 cricket team.
He further contended that the girl informed police two months after the alleged incident, which is a "serious matter" and there is no mention about the delay in the FIR.
Shah urged the high court to not arrest Shah till police completed the inquiry and to quash the FIR.