HC junks ex-official's plea in MPCA sexual harassment case

Indore: In a major setback for Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association (MPCA) former official Alpesh Shah, booked for sexually harassing a teenage cricketer, the Indore bench of the High Court today rejected his plea seeking quashing of FIR registered against him. A bench of Justice JK Maheshwari turned down Shah’s request on the ground that the girl had already recorded her statement in the matter before police and a local court, said advocate Vinay Saraf, who is representing the cricketer. Saraf said the high court also directed investigation officer concerned to go ahead with the probe and also in case he is satisfied with the findings to arrest Shah under section 41 of the CrPc by using his own discretion. [caption id=“attachment_1292643” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  A representational picture. Getty Images[/caption] The 18-year-old player had alleged that Shah, then joint secretary and coordinator of Under-19 Women’s Cricket Team for MPCA, behaved 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. On the basis of statement of the cricketer, police registered an FIR under section 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty) of IPC against Shah, who is since been evading arrest. A local court had earlier this month directed the 18-year-old to record her statement under section 164 of CrPc. Shah’s lawyer Ajay Bagadia had 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 contended that the girl informing police two months after the alleged incident is a “serious matter” which does not find mention in the FIR against Shah. PTI