Banned cricketers Mohammed Azharuddin, Ajay Jadeja and Manoj Prabhakar will be heard by the Sports Ministry at a proceeding beginning January 8 on the withdrawal of the Arjuna Awards given to them.

Jadeja has been asked to appear before a panel of the Ministry, constituted for this purpose by Sports Minister Uma Bharti, on January 8, Ministry sources told PTI on Friday. Jadeja was banned from playing cricket for five years by the BCCI for his indictment by the CBI and Madhavan Committee in the match-fixing scandal. On the next day (January 9) Azharuddin would show cause to the notice given by the Sports Ministry as to why his Arjuna Award should not be withdrawn following a life ban imposed on him by the Board, the sources said.

Prabhakar would be the last to appear before the panel on January 10, they said, adding that thereafter the panel would examine the response of the banned players before taking a decision under Clause 17 of the Arjuna Award Rules. Prabhakar, Azharuddin and Jadeja were given Arjuna Awards in 1983, 1986 and 1997 respectively.

Clause 17 says: "The Government of India may cancel or annul the Award to any person and thereupon the recipient shall be required to surrender the statuette and the scroll of honour but it shall be competent for the Government of India to restore the award once the cancellation and annulment has been withdrawn."

Bharti had said the cricketers involved in the match-fixing scandal had disgraced the country and the Government would take stringent action against them. The Ministry had given them notice last month giving them 15 days time to respond to the it. Bharti had said a final decision would be taken after hearing them.

Replying to questions as to why the awards were being taken back from them before they were proved guilty in a court of law, the Minister said there was a condition that if the winner of the coveted award "dishonoured" the country, it could be withdrawn.

Maintaining that match-fixing was a "heinous crime", Bharti said she had also written to the Law Ministry to amend existing laws to put an end to the menace.

© PTI