Thaindian News

New Delhi, April 8 (IANS) The Delhi High Court Friday rejected the anticipatory bail plea of former Indian cricketer Jacob Joseph Martin in a case of forging documents to facilitate illegal immigration.

“His conduct and action do not appear to be bonafide. Rather, the petitioner has used every trick in the book to evade appearing before the investigating officer,” Justice Hima Kohli said.

Martin, who played 10 One-day Internationals for India, had taken a group of young cricketers to England in 2004 and arranged the illegal stay there of one of them - Nimesh Patel - on basis of forged documents.

“It prima facie appears to be a case of human trafficking behind the smoke screen of leading a cricket team abroad. The allegation levelled against the petitioner are serious in nature.”

The court said that by his actions the cricketer had done a “dis-service” to the game.

“The petitioner has attempted to mislead this court by concealing material information,” the judge said.

“Looking at the stature of the petitioner, it has to be said that by his aforesaid conduct, the petitioner has neither brought any glory to the country which he has had the privilege to represent, nor to the sport,” said the court.

The cricketer, who made his debut against the West Indies in 1999, moved the high court after a trial court issued a non-bailable warrant against him and initiated proceedings to declare him a proclaimed offender for failing to join the investigation.

“Martin is granted a period of one week to present himself before the trail court,” the judge ruled.