Charges and taxes in restaurants!

By bankbazaar | Bankbazaar.com 

TaxSavings_istock

It is Friday evening. You are in a restaurant. You had nice full course dinner with soup, main course, followed by dessert. You checked the prices before and ordered. However, when the bill came, you were little shocked. The numbers did not match till you came across few items called service tax and service charge which inflated the bill by about 15% to 20%. Since this is Friday evening and you have been waiting for this for the whole week, you don’t question it and pay. We have all faced this situation in fine dining and not so fine dining restaurant. Almost all of us agree that the extra cost is high but none of us know the charges and taxes included in bill.

A simple thing made complicated

We have an uncanny ability to screw simple things and make it complex. Taxes and charges on seemingly simple stuffs like food and drinks are one such thing where customers are taken for granted. Let’s understand few terms that we see on our food bill often but do not understand.

Service charge

This is charged by the restaurant for the services rendered to you. This money goes to the restaurant. The establishments are free to charge any amount as service charges as there are no guidelines provided by the tax authority. The charge varies from 5% to 10%. Few restaurants don’t charge it. This is equivalent to the tips people usually give to waiters. If you are charged service charge in the bill, don’t pay tips as this charge is supposed to be shared among the staff.

Most of us don’t bother about it even when we feel the charges are higher. One reason is that we don’t think anything can be done about it. Secondly, we don’t want to spoil our evening because of this and argue with restaurant manager. However, the ground rule is that if the menu mentions service charges, you have to pay. If it doesn’t, you can question it.

Service tax

Many people confuse service tax with service charges. Service tax is the tax levied by the Government on the services rendered by restaurants. Service tax is same in all states. It is 12.36% on the 40% of the bill. The bill includes your food and drink and the service charge. The restaurant must be air-conditioned for the service tax. The problem here is that most of the customers are taxed at the full bill and not on the 40% of the bill as directed.

To make things simple, service tax should be 40% * 12.36% = 4.94% on the total bill. Hence whenever you see service tax on the total bill exceeding about 5%, you can question it.

VAT (Value Added Tax)

There is another tax called VAT (value added tax) that is state specific. The rates can be as low as 5% and as high as 20% depending upon the states. Moreover, VAT for food items and drink are different. Many restaurants might club food items and drink and charge a flat rate on the total bill. In such cases, it is good to ask for separate bills for food and drinks. This should clearly show the different VAT for both the items. (To understand VAT better, click here)

Example

Let’s see how service charge, tax and VAT work with an example. Suppose you have dined in an AC restaurant and the price of food items is summed to Rs 900. You will be asked to pay service charges (goes to the restaurant) and VAT and service tax (goes to Government)

Items	Amount
Bill of food item	900
Service charge (assuming 6%)	54
Sun Total	954
Service tax to be levied on (40% of sub-total)	381.6
Service tax (at the rate of 12.36%)	47.16576
VAT @ 12.5% of the sub-total	119.25
Total amount to be paid	1120.416

Many times, restaurants charge the highest rate on the total bill. This is general complaint by almost all the customers.

Conclusion

Most of the times, we cannot do anything about overcharging. The reasons are not only our unwillingness but also the ignorance of restaurant managers. In many cases though, you can question these items and get your bill corrected. Please remember that this will not be easy. However, you can always question and explain this to the restaurant manager and get your bill corrected. There have been cases where customers were able to reduce their bill.

Have you been ripped off wrongly by a restaurant? How did you react? Share your experiences by posting a comment below. 

Couples who have premarital sex to be considered 'married': Madras High Court

Madras High Court has, in a judgement, said if any unmarried couple of the right legal age "indulge in sexual gratification," this will be considered a valid marriage and they could be termed "husband and wife."

By ANI | Yahoo Lifestyle Entertainment 

Chennai, June 18 (ANI): In what can be seen as a new twist to the concept of premarital sex, the Madras High Court has in a judgement said if any unmarried couple of the right legal age "indulge in sexual gratification," this will be considered a valid marriage and they could be termed "husband and wife.

The court said that if a bachelor has completed 21 years of age and an unmarried woman 18 years, they have acquired the freedom of choice guaranteed by the Constitution. "Consequently, if any couple choose to consummate their sexual cravings, then that act becomes a total commitment with adherence to all consequences that may follow, except on certain exceptional considerations."

The court said marriage formalities as per various religious customs such as the tying of a mangalsutra, the exchange of garlands and rings or the registering of a marriage were only to comply with religious customs for the satisfaction of society.

The court further said if necessary either party to a relationship could approach a Family Court for a declaration of marital status by supplying documentary proof for a sexual relationship. Once such a declaration was obtained, a woman could establish herself as the man's wife in government records.

The court also said if after having a sexual relationship, the couple decided to separate due to difference of opinion, the 'husband' could not marry without getting a decree of divorce from the 'wife'.

Justice C.S. Karnan passed the order yesterday while modifying an April 2006 judgment of a Coimbatore family court in a maintenance case involving a couple, The Hindu reports.

The lower court had ordered the man to pay monthly maintenance of Rs. 500 to the couple's two children and Rs. 1000 as litigation expenses. The lower court observed that the woman's wedding with the man had not been proved by documentary evidence. Hence, she was not entitled to maintenance.

In her appeal to the High Court, the woman's counsel contended that she was legally married and had two children in wedlock. (ANI)

Actor Vindoo Dara Singh Randhaw drags cops to court

By Aditi Raja | Mail Today 

Mumbai: Actor Vindoo Dara Singh Randhawa, who was arrested by the Mumbai Police crimebranch on May 22 in connection with the IPL spot-fixing controversy, is likely to move the Bombay High Court seeking action against the police for allegedly subjecting him to humiliation in custody.

According to sources, Vindoo’s advocates are in the process of preparing a petition seeking compensation and action against the police for detaining him for more than 10 days on charges that they claimed were bailable.

Gurunath is innocent, says Vindoo

Vindoo’s lawyer Satish Manshinde said his client was kept under arrest for a case that was bailable, while the charges of cheating and forgery had no substantive evidence to back the police case.

Speaking to reporters, the actor, who was granted bail by a Mumbai court on June 4, said he has vowed that he will never watch cricket again.

CSK team principal and N Srinivasan’s son-in-law, Gurunath Meiyappan, meanwhile, has been moving in and out of Mumbai to comply with the bail conditions of showing up at the crime branchoffice every alternate day.

Sources close to Meiyappan said he has not instructed his lawyers to pursue the route Vindoo is taking.

“Meiyappan does not want to blow the matter out of proportion. Yes, the fact is that he was detained in the case that was bailable but he does not want to stretch the matter as he is already mentally disturbed after being in custody for 10 days,” a source said.

Meiyappan’s lawyer refused to comment.

Meanwhile, a local court on Thursday rejected an application filed by bookie Ramesh Vyas seeking action against authorities for his illegal detention.

Vyas, who is now in the custody of the Delhi Police after seeking bail in the case filed against him by the Mumbai crime branch, has been booked under MCOCA by Delhi Police.

Dhoni sidesteps IPL row

AFP 

Dhoni talks to the media in Birmingham.

India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni kept his own counsel on Thursday when questioned on corruption claims regarding the Indian Premier League but promised to reveal his views at the "right time".

Controversial accusations of 'spot-fixing' have engulfed the sixth edition of the lucrative Twenty20 tournament, with Indian police making several arrests in recent weeks.

The investigations started on May 16 when Delhi police arrested three cricketers including Test fast bowler Shanthakumaran Sreesanth, accusing them of deliberately bowling badly in exchange for tens of thousands of dollars.

The scandal is threatening to bring down N. Srinivasan, the head of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), who has been under intense pressure after his son-in-law was arrested for allegedly betting on IPL games.

Gurunath Meiyappan, is an executive at the Chennai Super Kings IPL team -- owned by Srinivasan's India Cements and featuring Dhoni as one of its star players.

Dhoni, speaking at a news conference in Birmingham, central England, on Thursday to preview India's Champions Trophy bid, said he was glad to be abroad.

"It's good to be out of there (India)." But asked for his views on the evolving IPL row, which has seen Pakistani umpire Asad Rauf stood down from the Champions Trophy following fixing allegations in the Indian media, Dhoni was cautious.

"It's not that the reputation (of Indian cricket) is gone," he said. "When the right time comes I'll answer (more thoroughly), but as of now I don't think we have lost reputation because whatever the set-up will be throughout the world or in any sport, still you'll have people who will be slightly mentally weak compared to some of the others.

"I would love to elaborate but at the right time I'll do it. I just want to keep our side away from everything as of now."

Reigning world champions India are in the process of rebuilding their side and have arrived for the 'mini World Cup' that is the Champions Trophy without Sachin Tendulkar, now retired from ODIs, Virender Sehwag and Zaheer Khan.

Fans sad to see some of their favourites no longer involved have been critical of India in recent months but Dhoni backed a youthful squad to come good.

"It's an ongoing process. A few of them (fans) will ask questions and you have to silence them," he said.

"It's for us to see what kind of a squad we've got with a fresh bunch of players.

"You have to look at the positives. If you look at the positive you can say the players that have been playing in the IPL have had good exposure to international bowlers because bowlers from all over the world, they come and play in the IPL.

"The best that the world has to offer (play IPL) which means most of the players are in touch and are in good rhythm," wicketkeeper/batsman Dhoni added.

India have warm-up matches against Sri Lanka on Saturday and Australia on Tuesday before facing South Africa in the opening match of the tournament proper in Cardiff on June 6.

Tendulkar, Laxman break silence, express shock

Srinivasan rattled | BCCI Treasurer mulling resignation | 'Batsmen not invloved'

Yahoo! Cricket 

India captain MS Dhoni has been panned for his silence, but Sachin Tendulkar finally voiced his opinion on the spot-fixing and betting scandal that has engulfed Indian cricket as on Friday he expressed his "shock and disappointment" over the developments in the last two weeks.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in his first reaction to the scandal said politics and cricket should not get mixed.

"Developments in the last two weeks have been shocking and disappointing," Tendulkar said in a statement on Friday. "It always hurts me when the game of cricket is in news for wrong reasons."

"As cricketers we are always taught to go out, fight hard, give our very best and play in the true spirit of the game," Tendulkar, who is the first current Indian cricketer to comment on the scandal, said.

"During this difficult phase, I join every cricketer, from the boys in the maidans across the country to those who represent clubs, states and the country, who trust the authorities to take sincere steps to get to the root of the issue."

"The faith reposed by the millions of fans should be justified and we owe it to them to ensure that Indian cricket is all about pride and joy," the legendary batsman, who has announced his retirement from IPL, played for Mumbai Indians, which won this year's tournament.

Former India batsman VVS Laxman had also said the issues of corruption in the IPL were "distressing".

"It's very disappointing. The last two weeks have been quite distressing and a feeling of anguish was definitely there. I hope the various investigations done by the police in Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai come to a logical conclusion, and more importantly the cause of this problem is erased. It is very important because just for some greedy players, the credibility of the rest of the players should not be affected. I think it is a very important issue and I am sure it will be cleaned up very soon," Laxman said.

Manmohan, when asked if the government was contemplating intervention into the scandal, said: "I would not like to comment on the type of things you have mentioned. This is under investigation."

The prime minister refused to be drawn into the controversy that top politicians, including ministers, were holding top positions in the BCCI.

"It is not proper for me to comment. I only hope that politics and sports don't get mixed," he told the accompanying media on board his special aircraft after ending his five-day visit to Japan and Thailand.


SRINIVASAN HAS 48 HOURS?

The anti-Srinivasan group in the BCCI says the board president's future is likely to be decided in the next 48 hours, CNN-IBN reported. BCCI sources told the channel if Srinivasan doesn't step down by then, they will call a special emergency meeting.

As Srinivasan is an elected functionary, at least three-fourths of the 30 full members of the board must vote against him. But that too may not be enough. To have him removed as the BCCI chief, at least 10 members have to make a written submission to convene a Special General Meeting of the board.

If he manages the support of eight full members, which is the case now, he would stay on.


RAJASTHAN PLAYER TO TURN WITNESS

The Delhi Police is speaking to Rajasthan Royals player Siddharth Trivedi in connection with the IPL spot-fixing case.

Trivedi has been made a prosecution witness in the case to make the police case stronger. CNN-IBN reports that Trivedi was offered bribe by bookies but he refused.

Meanwhile, the news channel reported that two foreign players were approached by the bookies, but they also rebuffed the approach.

Trivedi told the police that he has information about all four bookie rings, many of whom are in custody. Trivedi reportedly told the police about a group of friends including foreign players who partied together where bookies were active, according to CNN-IBN.

MISSING HOTELIER SURFACES

Chennai hotelier Vikram Aggarwal aka Victor in betting circles, who had been untraceable, finally appeared at the Mumbai crime branch on Friday for questioning. Earlier on Friday, the Tamil Nadu Police mulled issuing a lookout notice against Aggarwal to stop him from fleeing the country.

The Mumbai Police argued that further custody is necessary to complete their investigations at a Mumbai court where Gurunath and Vindoo had been produced on Friday. The Mumbai Police said they confronted Gurunath with the contents of his diary. The diary contains notations of several meetings.

The Mumbai Police had summoned Aggarwal for questioning on Friday over betting links with BCCI chief N Srinivasan's son-in-law Gurunath Meiyappan.

On Thursday, the Madras High Court had dismissed Aggarwal's anticipatory bail petition in connection with the summons issued by the Tamil Nadu Police.

Aggarwal failed to appear before the Crime Branch Crime Investigation Department (CBCID) on Thursday, the deadline set by the latter for an enquiry in connection with cricket betting.

In another anticipatory bail application filed by him in connection with the summons issued by Mumbai Police, the court ordered notice to the Mumbai Police.

Police say Aggarwal has been active in betting circles and was the one who introduced Bollywood actor Vindoo Dara Singh to Gurunath. Both are being interrogated on charges of betting.


IPL CEO FILES COMPLAINT

IPL CEO Sundar Raman on Friday filed a complaint against Gurunath Meiyappan, the son-in-law of Srinivasan; Chennai Super Kings owner India Cements and the Rajasthan Royals in a Mumbai court. 

IPL spot-fixing: All 10 cricketers from UP under surveillance

An officer in the Special Task Force claimed that along with cricketers, activity of coaches and the local sponsors were also being watched.

By Sharad Deep & Rajesh Kumar Singh, Hindustan Times | Yahoo! Cricket 

Lucknow: Was there any role of cricketers from Uttar Pradesh in the spot-fixing scandal, which has hit the cash-rich Indian T20 League as well as the Indian cricket very badly?

Even if not, the investigating agencies, including the Delhi Police and the Mumbai Crime Branch along with UP Police, are keeping a close ‘watch’ on all the 10 cricketers from the state who took part in the recently concluded tournament, including Chennai Super Kings’ Suresh Raina, Pune Warriors’ Bhuvaneshwar Kumar and Rudra Pratap Singh of Royal Challengers Bangalore.

Besides these three, others who were part of different teams in this year’s Indian Twenty20 League include Ali Murtaza (Pune Warriors), Praveen Kumar, Piyush Chawla (both for Kings XI Punjab), Imtiaz Ahmed and Ankit Singh Rajput (both for Chennai Super Kings) and Eklavya Dwivedi (Pune Warriors).

Confirming this, ADG (law and order) Arun Kumar said UP Police were indeed investigating the issue.


“We are working independently on the leads provided by our agencies and so far we have successfully busted gangs involved in betting in Varanasi, Meerut, Kanpur and Ghaziabad.” 

“It’s true we are continuing our investigations and several people involved in the racket are on our radar,” he said.

He adding, “Right now, we can’t share the details of the investigations, and people involved in spot-fixing and betting are likely to be nabbed soon.” He, however, accepted that if required, UP Police would also coordinate with the Delhi and Mumbai police.

Meanwhile, an officer in the Special Task Force (STF) claimed that along with cricketers, activity of coaches and the local sponsors were also being watched. “We have been tipped about the possible involvement of some of the players and coaches from state.”

“We have reports of a player bowling a no-ball on the very last ball of a match between Chennai Super Kings and Royal Challengers Bangalore,” he said adding, “let’s see what happens once we complete our investigations.”

“Since the investigating agencies in Delhi and Mumbai are analyzing every match of the Indian T20 League, we can’t rule out the involvement of players even from UP in dealing with bookies or betting in the matches,” the STF officer said.

Besides the regular ones, many former domestic cricketers are also under the surveillance. One of the former cricketers has in fact confirmed the tapping of his phone since the spot-fixing scandal surfaced last week.

“I have been told by some close friend of mine in the police that my phone was also under surveillance, and it’s really a matter of great concern for me. I didn’t involve myself in any such activities like fixing or betting even when I was playing for UP,” said the former batsman.

He, however, accepted that many of the uncapped players, who didn’t get even a single match this season or played just a few matches, were the easy catch for the bookies and fixers. “Even while sitting among the reserves, you can have all information about the team’s planning etc. and passing those information through text messages are quite easy for anyone.”

Amway India CEO, two directors held in Kerala

By HT Correspondent | Hindustan Times 

Thiruvananthapuram, May 27 -- The Kerala police on Monday arrested Amway India managing director and CEO William S Pinckney, a US national, and two directors of the multilevel direct selling giant for alleged money laundering and breach of trust.

The three top officials of the fast-moving consumer goods company were arrested from Kozhikode in north Kerala after their appearance before a court. The police arrested them in connection with three different cases filed in neighbouring Wayanad district.

"The chief executive officer and two other officials, Anshu Budhraja and Sanjay Malhotra, were arrested by the Wayanad police on charges of money-chain activity and laundering. They were taken to Wayanad and will be produced in court on Tuesday," said CA Walson, superintendent of police of the state economic offences wing.

On May 3, the three officials had secured anticipatory bail from Kerala high court in a case filed by a housewife in Kozhikode district.

Following the arrest, Amway India said the police action was in connection for another case filed in 2011. "We would like to clarify that with respect to the 2011 case, the company or its officials were not issued any summons to join the investigation nor was any information sought by the police," the company said in a statement.

"The company management would have cooperated with respect to the 2011 matter as well, as we always have as a law abiding corporate citizen."

The company added, "The cases had been filed under the Prize Chits and Money Circulation Schemes (Banning) Act 1978 - the Act which currently is under amendment at the Centre... Amway would like to state that it has great confidence in the judicial processes and legal system, and hopes to secure a favourable outcome soon."

Amway India Enterprises Pvt Ltd, which reported a turnover of Rs. 2,288 crore for the 2012-13 fiscal, has been facing allegations of irregularities in Kerala.

Last year, the police had raided Amway offices across the state after complaints surfaced that the firm was taking huge sums in advance from customers and representatives. The company's state manager Rajkumar was arrested.

Subsequently, the company claimed in a big campaign it was doing legal business within guidelines approved by the state government in 2011 for direct selling companies.

Investigators, however, found the company was making it mandatory for distributors to purchase products at high prices and this amounted to violation of guidelines.

The police are working on leads that lakhs of rupees collected this way have been invested in the insurance business.

Amway is a multibillion-dollar international business operating in more than 80 countries.

Published by HT Syndication with permission from Hindustan Times.

ICC drop tainted Rauf; police summon CSK chief

Rauf won't umpire in Champions Trophy | Police heat on Meiyappan.

Yahoo! Cricket

Pakistani umpire Asad Rauf has been withdrawn from the ICC Champions Trophy (to be played in England in June) following reports that he was under investigation by the Mumbai police in the on-going clampdown on spot-fixing. 

ICC Chief Executive David Richardson said in a statement: “In the wake of reports that the Mumbai Police are conducting an investigation into Asad Rauf’s activities, we feel that it is in Asad’s best interests as well as those of the sport and the event itself, that he is withdrawn from participating in the ICC Champions Trophy.”

Asad Rauf is the first umpire to be implicated in the spot-fixing scandal in India. Seven current and past cricketers and numerous bookies have been rounded up so far by the Delhi and Mumbai police.

Gurunath Meiyappan. (Getty Images)

Mumbai Police on Thursday has issued summons to the Chennai Super Kings team principal Gurunath Meiyappan to make himself present for questioning in the ongoing investigation against corruption in cricket. 

Meanwhile, the Enforcement Directorate has started to probe the possibility of money laundering in the IPL spot-fixing case. 

PTI reported that Meiyappan needs to appear before the crime branch between 11 AM and 5 pm on Friday in Mumbai. He will be declared a fugitive if he fails to do so. 

A Mumbai Police team is in Chennai on Thursday to question Meiyappan, also the the son-in-law of BCCI chief and Chennai Super Kings owner N Srinivasan. 

There was drama this noon when a clutch of media persons gathered outside the Meiyappan residence and the gates were not opened to let in the policemen who were there to meet Meiyappan. 

A red flag was seen atop Meiyappan's bungalow, which neighbours say is put up whenever the CSK team official is not at his residence. 

CNN-IBN quotes sources as saying that apart from Meiyappan, other functionaries in the Chennai franchise may also be quizzed. 

Meiyappan has been in the spotlight as arrested Bollywood actor Vindoo Dara Singh has allegedly said he had placed bets on Meiyappan's behalf in the IPL. Vindoo has also allegedly told the police that he not only placed bets but also facilitated others in Bollywood in placing bets with bookies he knew.

"The more than 100 phone calls and text messages exchanged were all during Chennai's IPL matches. Vindoo claims he met a number of Chennai Super King players through Meiyappan," said a crime branch official.

Times Now has reported that Mumbai Police have specifically been asked to check the content of Meiyappan's mobile phone as they want to check if he had divulged any team strategy to Vindoo.

Vindoo had also claimed to the police that he had gone to watch a T20 league match in Chennai on an invitation from Meiyappan. During that match last month, Vindoo was seen seated next to the wife of CSK captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Sakshi. A senior crime branch officer however said they had no plans to question Sakshi.

MORE PLAYERS MAY BE QUESTIONED

According to CNN-IBN, three to four more players are under the radar in the IPL spot-fixing scandal and are likely to be questioned next week. The name of the players, sources say, came up after the interrogation of a group of bookies. The police have also asked for the footage of all the matches played by the Rajasthan Royals from IPL's broadcaster Set Max. 

BOOKIE ARRESTED IN KOLKATA
A bookie and nine of his associates were arrested in Kolkata, police on Thursday said, adding that they were investigating if the culprits had links with the ongoing IPL spot fixing controversy.

Bookie Ajit Surekha and others were nabbed on Wednesday night from their hideout in north Kolkata and several mobile phones, a laptop and cash were seized, police said.

YASHWANT SINHA SLAMS IPL
The Indian Premier League is a den of gambling, BJP leader Yashwant Sinha told a news channel on Thursday and pressed for a detailed inquiry into the spot fixing in the tournament.

"What is required is a detailed inquiry into who all are involved in match fixing. Who are responsible for reducing the game of cricket to a den of gambling; action should be taken under the law against all these people ... however mighty or glamorous they may be. They must be brought to book and they should be brought to justice," Sinha said.

Slamming the BCCI, he said: "Obviously BCCI consists of a large number of eminent people, including ministers of the government. BCCI had failed to regulate IPL in the manner in which it should have been regulated."

SAKSHI TWEETS...

D-COMPANY HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH MATCH-FIXING [Link]

Times of India has an interview with Chhota Shakeel, the henchman of underworld don Dawood Ibrahim. Excerpts:

Your gang's name has once again cropped up in the betting racket. Please explain. 

Initially our gang was involved in the betting and match-fixing racket and it was entirely handled by Bhai's (Dawood) most trusted man Sharad Anna (Shetty). Anna passed away in 2002 and since then we have been out of it. Bhai has strictly warned all of us to stay away from betting. We are into real estate and other property businesses. Have you heard of us calling up anybody and threatening them in the last few years?

Earlier your gang was involved in betting and hawala operations? 

Yes, our gang was involved in the last-match fixing controversy involving Hansie Cronjie but after that we are out of it. None of Bhai's family members, not even his brother Anees, is involved. 

DELHI POLICE AND MUMBAI POLICE AT LOGGERHEADS?

CNN-IBN reports: The Delhi Police is likely to seek access to items found in S Sreesanth's hotel room in Mumbai. They will move court to seek access from Mumbai Police. The plea will be to request for the access to items seized from the hotel room where Sreesanth was staying. 

BCCI NEEDS TO BE TRANSPARENT: GOVT [Link]

Sports minister Jitendra Singh wants that there should be certain minimum level of transparency and accountability that federations like the Indian cricket board need to ensure.

The minister said it was time to bring in a law that will serve as a deterrent to malpractices in sports and hinted at wider disagreements over the passage of the Sports Bill. 

On a direct question of bringing BCCI under the ambit of RTI act, Singh said: “National Sports Federations are already under RTI. The Sports Bill is under drafting stage (and) we have put forward these points to the drafting committee. I think it is very important that there is transparency, people should know where the money is going.”


MORE TEAMS ARE INVOLVED: DELHI POLICE CHIEF [Link]

Delhi Police chief Neeraj Kumar has confirmed that more teams apart from Rajasthan Royals are being probed. Speaking to CNN-IBN's sister channel IBN7, Neeraj Kumar said the police are working on leads in connection with the involvement of other teams.

When asked which teams are under the radar, Neeraj Kumar said, "We don't want to reveal the names as it will affect our investigation. But we have some leads and we are working on that. We may or may not be successful." 

VINDOO SPILLS THE BEANS ON BOLLYWOOD [Link]

The Mumbai crime branch claims to have stumbled upon a bollywood-bookie-cricketer nexus following the disclosures made by Vindoo Dara Singh, while investigating the betting racket busted by them. Vindoo who is currently in the custody of the crime branch's property cell, has started singing during custodial interrogation, sources said. He has allegedly told the police that he not only placed bets but also facilitated others in Bollywood in placing bets with bookies he knew.

A senior crime branch official said that Vindoo's mobile phone call record has revealed 'quite a few names' and they were investigating various connections to the betting racket busted by them. 


VINDOO HELPED BOOKIES ESCAPE [Link]

Vindoo on Wednesday admitted that he helped two bookies, Pawan Jaipur and Sanjay Jaipur, escape to Dubai, sources have told NDTV. 

The two bookies - Sanjay and Pawan - had checked into a hotel arranged by the 49-year-old actor and went to the airport in his car, sources said. Sources say Vindoo was a "compulsive better" and must have bet in every game possible. 

ICL ORIGINS TO FIXING TALE [Link]

Hindustan Times reports investigators now suspect such underhand deals in previous editions of the IPL and in tournaments such as the Indian Cricket League, a private league held between 2007 and 2009.  

The suspicion has strengthened following the interrogation of Baburao Yadav, a former ICL player turned bookie, and Sunil Bhatia, a fixer, who were arrested by the special cell personnel.

The disclosures made by them have led the investigators to examine the role of some ICL cricketers. 


CRICKET CAN FIGHT CORRUPTION: DELHI POLICE CHIEF [Link]

Delhi Police commissioner Neeraj Kumar in an interview to ESPNcricinfo said the BCCI must maintain better vigil to clean up cricket in the country. "Most of this stuff happens quite openly: people are seen sitting with undesirable people and people do come to know about some strangers meeting somebody. So they have the list of the suspects, they should go after them."

Kumar also feel the BCCI can work in collaboration with law enforcement authorities to beef up its anti-corruption measures. 


'YADAV PLANNED TO PLAY IN BANGLADESH LEAGUE' [Link]

Former Ranji cricket player Baburao Yadav, arrested in the IPL spot fixing scandal, had planned to play in the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) with the help of one of the arrested bookies, police said on Wednesday.

Yadav, who was arrested on Monday, was taken to Bangladesh by bookie Sunil Bhatia in 2009 to introduce him to some of his contacts who could help Yadav play in the BPL, said a police official.

The police official said the information was given by Yadav and Bhatia, who are in police custody, during their interrogation.

Yadav could not play in the BPL as the anti-corruption team of International Cricket Council identified Bhatia as a bookie and he returned from Bangladesh to avoid arrest in Bangladesh. 

Vindoo spills the beans on Bollywood

He facilitated others in Bollywood in placing bets with bookies he knew.

By Hindustan Times | Yahoo! Cricket 

Mumbai (Hindustan Times): The Mumbai crime branch claims to have stumbled upon a bollywood-bookie-cricketer nexus following the disclosures made by Vindoo Dara Singh, son of the late Dara Singh, while investigating the betting racket busted by them. Vindoo who is currently in the custody of the crime branch's property cell, has started singing during custodial interrogation, sources said.

He has allegedly told the police that he not only placed bets but also facilitated others in Bollywood in placing bets with bookies he knew. At times, he would double up as a bookie himself and was known as "Jack" in bookie and punter circuits. Bollywood personalities are also known to hobnob with the bookies, he allegedly said.Bollywood actor Vindoo Dara Singh. (Yogen Shah)

A senior crime branch officials said that Vindoo's mobile phone call record has revealed 'quite a few names' and they were investigating various connections to the betting racket busted by them. As per sources, Vindoo knew many cricketers and he used this friendship to gets tips on the game and in turn to place bets, police said.

Sreesanth's betting company and CSK-Vindoo link

"He was close to many bookies, especially Pawan Jaipur and Sanjay Jaipur. He also was in touch with Jupiter, a bookies common in the cases in Mumbai and Jaipur. Vindoo also was in touch with Ramesh Vyas, who ran the Kalbadevi centre which connected Indian and Pakistani bookies," sources said.

Himanshu Roy, joint commissioner of police (Crime) said their investigations were at a sensitive stage and hinted of more arrests were likely. He added their case so far was related to betting only.

Sources said that Vindoo would accept bets upto Rs. One lakh. He would in turn put bets of larger sums with big bookies like Jupiter. "I have a bad addiction for betting is what Vindoo confessed," said a crime branch officer, requesting anonymity. Vindoo also used place bets on horse racing. It is also suspected that Vindoo was a conduit between bookies, Bollywood personalities and cricketers, and was being guided by bookies owing allegiance to Sunil Abhichandani alias Sunil Dubai.

The crime branch has recovered three mobiles phones belonging to Pawan Jaipur and Sanjay Jaipur from Vindoo's residence. He also booked hotel rooms for the duo in the city in May. Also on May 17, when the police were searching the duo, Vindoo took them  in his own car to the international airport for their escape to Dubai.

Vindoo claims that he had earned around Rs. 17 lakh from betting in this year's T20 season. As per sources, Vindoo was a great fan of cricket for a long time and had a bookie friend named Anand Saxena in Delhi. Through Anand he eventually got introduced to the book making world. Afterwards he was introduced to Pawan and Sanjay Jaipur by Anand almost 8 years ago.

It was from 2005, that he started to place bets on all sorts of cricket matches. He struck rapport with Pawan and Sanjay Jaipur and was in touch with Jupiter, a bookie common in the cases in Delhi and Mumbai. Singh was also in touch with Ramesh Vyas of Kalbadevi, who ran a centre which connected Indian, Pakistani and Dubai based bookies.

How it all works. (Hindustan Times)

The feat Sachin never got praise for

By Krishna Kumar | Mail Today 

Players suspected of corruption were kept out of the team.

Not many people know this besides some sports journalists that perhaps cricketer Sachin Tendulkar's biggest achievement is not the 100 international centuries he has scored for India or the matches he has won through his batting and sometimes his bowling. It is his role in keeping some dubious cricketers suspected of match fixing outside the team.

When the match fixing scandal broke in 2000, it was Tendulkar and at least three other senior cricketers who came together and ensured that not just the players banned by the BCCI in match fixing but even those whose performance and conduct was dubious were never picked for the Indian squad again. They went about the job quietly, making no public statements. But the cricket board was conveyed of their concerns and the BCCI, which was afraid of spectators turning away from the sport, quickly acquiesced.

It is another thing that the BCCI, for reasons best known to it, didn't bother to pursue a case against a former Indian captain; this when the then South African captain Hansie Cronje had claimed that he had been introduced to bookie MK Gupta by the Indian player. The CBI also claims that it had proof against the player.

The other cricketers involved were not charged with match fixing by the CBI which was then investigating the case, as the agency couldn't find strong evidence against them.

However, while captains got changed over the years, the said cricketers were never picked again to play for India. Sachin & Co were not on a vendetta mission. In fact the players who were 'unofficially' barred from playing for India again had been under suspicion even before the match fixing scandal broke. For instance one cricketer, known to be one of the fastest runners between the wickets, had also figured in the most run outs.

Then there was a wicketkeeper who was the only one on the field to not appeal for a catch in spite of the ball being clearly nicked by the batsman. There was also a batsman who got out carelessly in a Test in spite of being asked to bat cautiously by the team management.

In fact a couple of these cricketers even publicly wondered why they were never picked for the team. Ironically these cricketers and even those who were believed to be involved with match fixers and bookies are now in television studios giving their views on the current spot fixing scandal and dissecting the performance of cricketers who are currently playing for India.

For those who are wondering how spot fixing and match fixing continue despite cricketers having been banned on this account in the past, this is your answer — banning a player or erasing his records is not a deterrent enough; what is needed is that the cricketers be prosecuted.

The spot fixing controversy is also a lesson for those players who slog all day playing cricket in Shivaji Park and other grounds in Mumbai that there is no substitute for hard work.

Yes, cricketers like Dhoni have a huge number of bikes that cost lakhs of rupees and everyone may want to own them, but they have not come the easy way. The takeaway from the Sreesanth affair is that there are no short cuts to success and no matter how secret your involvement in match fixing, you are bound to get caught sooner or later.

Revealed: Sreesanth's betting company and CSK-Vindoo link

Chandila planned to throw May 17 game.

Yahoo! Cricket 

Sreesanth's company wanted to open betting houses.

The spot fixing web in the Indian Premier League seems to be spreading with each passing day as Mumbai Police are now probing how Bollywood actor Vindoo Dara Singh had ready access to the Chennai Super Kings VIP box.

The heat is now on the Chennai Super Kings franchise. The Mumbai Police is expected to question BCCI chief and Chennai Super Kings owner N Srinivasan's son-in-law Gurunath Meiyappan, who has been having telephone conversations with Vindoo Dara Singh.

Meiyappan is also the CEO of the Chennai franchise.

DID SREESANTH PLAN BETTING HOUSES? [Link]

Was Sreesanth planning to start betting houses in India and abroad? Two news channels today claimed to be possession of documents that showed S36 Sports and Entertainment Private Limited, the company jointly owned by Sreesanth, had listed betting as one of the objectives of the company.

Deccan Chronicle reports: According to S36's memorandum of association filed with the registrar of companies in Bengaluru, the company's main objectives are: "To run in India and/or abroad coaching centres, gymnasiums, health clubs, fitness centres, betting houses, indoor stadiums, sports physiotherapy centres, sports bars..."

Betting is illegal in India, but is permissible in many countries. Sreesanth is reported to be holding a 74% stake in this company while his Kochi-based coach P. Sivakumar owns the other 26%.

Sivakumar told CNN-IBN that listing of objectives is a normal practice during the registration of a company. “The company was formed for Sreesanth’s post retirement life. If Sreesanth settles abroad, he can run a betting house. There are many countries where betting is allowed. We have not committed any illegality”, he said.

LAWYER LASHES OUT AT COPS

Shanthakumaran Sreesanth's lawyer Rebecca John said police involved in the corruption probe were 'deliberately planting leaks' in the media against her client. John's comments came a day after Sreesanth, who has played 27 Tests for India, and his two team-mates from the Rajasthan Royals were refused bail following their court appearance over the scandal.

15 IPL MATCHES FIXED THIS YEAR: BOOKIE

Dinesh Kalgi, a leading bookie from Gujarat, claimed today that as many as 15 IPL6 matches were fixed. In an interview to CNN-IBN, Kalgi claimed that "players, selectors, Bollywood stars are all involved."

"Not just players, sponsors, selection committees are involved. Bollywood is also involved, but they will never be caught," Kalgi claimed. "Only the small fish get caught. Spot-fixing happens in London and is provided back-up in Dubai. The Delhi police has uncovered only a small, amateur group. They did not know how to do it and therefore got caught."

VINDOO MADE RS. 17 LAKH

Times Now reported that Vindoo has claimed to have told the police that he made Rs. 17 lakh from his betting-related activities during IPL6.

Vindoo has also reportedly confessed that he helped two bookies, Pawan Jaipur and Sanjay Jaipur, escape to Dubai.

CHANDILA HAD FIXED MAY 17 MATCH [Link]

Ajit Chandila of Rajasthan Royals was about to spot-fix in another Indian Premiere League (IPL) match too for which he had taken Rs.15 lakh from a Punjab-based bookie, police claimed here Wednesday.

During interrogation Chandila has revealed the name of another bookie, Deepak Kumar, 35, a resident of Patiala, Punjab.

"Kumar contacted Chandila April 4 and a meeting was held between them in a Chandigarh hotel for spot-fixing in the match played between Rajasthan Royals and Sunrisers Hyderabad on May 17. In this match, he was supposed to play," said an officer of Delhi Police.

He also received Rs.15 lakh from Kumar, who is a property dealer.

PIL AGAINST CSK, BCCI

A stadium pass issued in for Meiyappan. The photo was tweeted by Lalit Modi.Following these events was the news that a public interest litigation has been filed with the Madurai bench of the Madras High Court seeking a ban on the remaining IPL games this season, a government takeover of the BCCI and a CBI inquiry into the spot-fixing allegations. The PIL has been filed by a lawyer.

The High Court has subsequently issued notices to the Central Government, BCCI and IPL commissioner Rajiv Shukla. Srinivasan and Shukla have been given two weeks to respond.

Vindoo was arrested on Tuesday for his links to book-makers. The police has found no connections between Meiyappan and spot-fixing.

VINDOO'S CSK CONNECTIONS

Vindoo was arrested by Mumbai crime branch officials on Tuesday for his links with betting mafia.

Hindustan Times reported that police said they were investigating whether Vindoo, best known for winning the third season of reality show Bigg Boss, was a dealmaker between cricketers and bookmakers.

A picture of Vindoo with Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni's wife Sakshi at a stadium watching an IPL match fuelled stories that Sakshi would be questioned by the crime branch. Asked at a news conference if Sakshi and others seen with Vindoo would be questioned, Mumbai joint commissioner of police (Crime) Himanshu Roy would only reply that investigations were at a very preliminary stage and that it was too premature to comment.

Police sought his custodial interrogation after Ramesh Vyas, one of the bookies arrested in the scam and currently in police custody, revealed Vindoo's name.

Vindoo, the son of the late Dara Singh, will be produced in a Mumbai lower court on Wednesday. His lawyer Advocate Karan Mehta said outside the Esplanade Magistrate's court, Mumbai, shortly after Vindoo was sent to police custody till May 24, that police had no evidence on the alleged involvement of his client in the scandal.

News channel NDTV quoted sources as saying the police are investigating multiple calls made by the actor to a Chennai number. The calls were made over a period of six months, say sources.

Sakshi Dhoni with Vindoo during the MI-CSK match on April 6.The Mumbai Police says Vindoo's custodial interrogation was needed to establish the chain of people involved in the racket as the actor was not only betting himself but was also aiding the bookies.

With Vindoo's arrest, Mumbai police have sounded the first knock on Bollywood, completing the cricket-underworld-Bollywood triumvirate in the betting and spot fixing scam that has hit the sixth edition of the IPL.

Apart from Vindoo, Mumbai Police on Tuesday also arrested bookie Prem Taneja and hawala operator Alpesh Patel, from whose house the Crime Branch also seized Rs 12.80 million in cash.

Mumbai Joint Police Commissioner (Crime) Himanshu Roy said the three accused taken into custody "are linked to those bookies whom we have already arrested and those who are wanted".

Police said they were investigating whether any of the Pakistanis, who were in touch with the arrested bookies, had terror or crime syndicate links.

SREESANTH CLAIMS INNOCENCE

S. Sreesanth has pleaded innocence in the on-going investigations against spot-fixing in the Indian Premier League.

In a statement emailed by his lawyer Rebecca John on Tuesday, Sreesanth said: "I am innocent and have done no wrong. I have never indulged in any spot-fixing. As a cricketer, I have learnt to take knocks along with accolades, in my stride. I recognise that I am going through a tough period in my life. I have utmost faith in our judicial process and I am confident that with time I will be proved innocent, and my honour and dignity will be vindicated and restored."

This is the first statement Sreesanth has made since his arrest last Thursday. Earlier, media sources had reported that the Rajasthan Royals cricketer had confessed to spot-fixing during his interrogation by the police.

HIGH COURT QUASHES BID TO BAN IPL

The Delhi High Court has rejected a public interest litigation filed by an NGO seeking to ban the IPL. The HC had agreed to hear the plea on Wednesday. The NGO, Association For Social and Humanitarian Affairs through its president Kuldeep Singh Bhogal, said the T20 league is assisting corruption in the sport.

"The IPL's model seems to be designed specifically to suit the requirements of the mafia to quickly and efficiently churn huge sum of money using the routes of hawala," the petition, filed through advocate Rahul Raj Malik, alleged.

"The strategic time out of two to three minutes while the game is being played is misused, as being the only opportunity, for interactions between the players and the bookies to influence the result of the match and session and thereby cheat the nation," it alleged, adding that the whole nation has been "cheated" by some unscrupulous players, bookies and others.

SREESANTH TO BE QUIZZED FOR FIVE MORE DAYS [Link]

A Delhi court on Tuesday extended by five days the police custody of Sreesanth, his Rajasthan Royals teammates Ankeet Chavan and Ajit Chandila and eight bookies for alleged spot fixing in the ongoing Indian Premier League.

Metropolitan Magistrate Saumya Chauhan granted police custody of the players and the bookies till May 26 when Sreesanth along with others were presented in a packed courtroom at the end of their earlier police remand and investigators described the crime as "organised conspiracy".

The accused were using the modus operandi of asking bowlers, who agreed to indulge in spot fixing, to give pre-decided signals with the help of their accessories - like wrist watches, wrist bands, neck chains and towels at the time of starting the over, police said.

Police told the court two mobile phones, bought with spot fixing money, were recovered from Sreesanth's girlfriend from Jaipur.

Sreesanth and 10 others were arrested by the Special Cell of Delhi Police from the national capital region, Mumbai and Ahmedabad.

Police have booked the cricketers under provisions of the Indian Penal Code for criminal breach of trust as they did not play for their team and played for the bookies for their own interest. They were also booked for cheating and criminal conspiracy.

The bookies were booked for cheating and criminal conspiracy.

SREESANTH'S SHOPPING SPREE

Sreesanth went on a shopping spree with the money he earned from spot-fixing, buying apparel worth Rs.1.95 lakh for himself and a mobile phone costing over Rs.40,000 for his girlfriend, Delhi Police said on Tuesday.

He wanted to quickly dispose of the money which he got after fixing, a police official told IANS.

Some of the apparel bought by Sreesanth in Mumbai and the Blackberry Z10 phone have been seized, he said.

After Sreesanth told investigators about the purchases from the money he got for spot-fixing, he was taken to Jaipur on Monday evening and brought back to Delhi on Tuesday to be presented in a court.


TEAM OWNER'S RELATIVE UNDER LENS [Link ]

"The team owner's relative's mobile number has repeatedly shown up in Vindoo's call records, which we've been scanning for the past three days," a top police officer told Times of India.

The officer said that it was too early to say if the team owner was involved in the betting racket. "We have not yet established whether it was just betting or there was fixing too," the official said.

Even if the team owner is not linked directly to any betting or fixing, the fallout of his relative's involvement, should it be established, would be far-reaching for cricket and potentially disastrous forthe  IPL.


HOW BOOKIES ZEROED IN ON SREESANTH [Link]

The interrogation of the bookies arrested in the recent IPL spot-fixing scandal has revealed that Sreesanth was spotted as a "vulnerable target" after Slapgate, a Times of India report said.

If the bookies are to be believed, they had initiated efforts to get Sreesanth on their rolls soon thereafter but it took them several months to fix the first meeting.

Underworld don Dawood Ibrahim's brother and aide, Anees Ibrahim, allegedly passed on instructions to Sunil Ramchandani alias Sunil Dubai to get more dope on the fast bowler through his contacts in cricket teams and among celebrities.

BABURAO YADAV ANGLE

Former Ranji cricket player Baburao Yadav, arrested in the IPL spot fixing scandal, was in constant touch with a bookie for two years and introduced him to an accused Rajasthan Royals player, Delhi Police said on Tuesday.

Yadav, who was arrested on Monday, came in contact with bookie Sunil Bhatia in 2007 and was in touch with him till 2008, police said.

Picked up from Delhi, Yadav was questioned for his links with Chandila. He was the one who introduced Chandila to Bhatia, who is also in custody, a police official said.

Police also said they have collected voice samples of nine of the 18 accused in their custody, including some of the bookies and the three arrested players.

The official said they have added Section 409 (criminal breach of trust) of Indian Penal Code (IPC) to the case against 18 people, including players and bookies, arrested for the scandal after Indian Premier league (IPL) franchise Rajasthan Royals filed a formal complaint with Delhi Police.