Delhi U19 Cricketer, Family Under Investigation For Age Fraud As State Police Lodge FIR
Police case lodged against Delhi U19 cricketer for age fraud (X.com)
In a shocking development coming from the national capital, an unnamed U19 cricketer, with the help of his parents, allegedly forged his birth certificate to conceal his real age to be eligible for U19 selection for the Delhi State cricket team.
Age fraud in cricket is not a new affair. Cases of players faking their social IDs and birth certificates were a common occurrence back in the early 2000s. To curb the issue, BCCI introduced stricter punishments for those found guilty.
However, tightening the leash apparently had too little effect on the upcoming generation. In the latest case of age fraud, an unnamed U19 cricketer reportedly filed a fake birth certificate to attend Delhi State Cricket’s U19 trials and got selected.
FIR lodged against Delhi cricketer
However, the matter only came to light after a person named Anand Singh filed an FIR against the cricketer and his parents at IP Estate Police Station in Delhi.
Singh, in his complaint, has alleged that the cricketer in question was born on 19.03.2002, whereas the eligibility for U19 players to be able to attend trials was 01.09.2002. Therefore, the accused forged his birth certificate and Aadhar Card details and changed his birth date to 30.10.2002.
Moreover, the complainant named the secretary of the Delhi District Cricket Association for negligence as he was supposed to conduct due diligence into the background check of the player.
Notably, in BCCI’s revised norms, a player who willfully accepts inconsistencies in documentation and pleads guilty is allowed to participate in appropriate age group level tournaments, thus avoiding bans.
However, if a player consciously misleads the authorities, he will face a ban of up to 2 years and be disallowed from participating in BCCI-affiliated tournaments.