TN Suspends Cop Tied to IPL Probe

Tamil Nadu IPS officer G Sampath Kumar, who had deposed before the Justice Mudgal Committee probing the IPL betting-match fixing scandal, has been suspended on charges of receiving money from a bookie.
 Sampath Kumar had hit the headlines after claiming in his deposition that bookie Uttam C Jain alias Kitty had told him during interrogation that some senior India players had attended a party thrown by some bookies. Sampath had also told the committee that Kitty had taken the name of Chennai Super Kings' former team principal Gurunath Meiyappan in the context of match-fixing. The officer, who was transferred from the special branch, which initially probed the case, to Trichy as SP, Railways, had been critical of the Crime Branch-CID which probed the betting scandal in Tamil Nadu. Announcing the suspension of IPS officer G Sampath Kumar, who had deposed before the Justice Mudgal Committee probing the IPL betting-match fixing scandal, a statement issued by the governor of Tamil Nadu and signed by state home secretary Apurva Varma, read: "Disciplinary proceedings against Sampath Kumar is contemplated; the state government in exercise of the powers conferred by clause (a) of sub-rule (1) of the rule 3 of the All India Services (Discipline and Appeal) Rules, 1969, has placed the officer under suspension with immediate effect. Sampath Kumar has been asked not to leave Trichy without the permission of Varma."

Police sources said Sampath Kumar was suspended because the CB-CID policemen had booked a case against him for collecting Rs 55 lakh from one of the punters who wanted to be let scot-free. The CB-CID officials said they recovered the cash and 10kg of silver from two people close to Sampath Kumar.

After the IPS officer's statement on Kitty's revelations were leaked to the media in early February, CB-CID director general N P Singh had said that his team would summon the officer over his controversial statement. "Sampath Kumar didn't have powers to get statement from the bookie as he was not involved in the IPL inquiry," Singh had then said.