Former Indian cricketer and Vadodara resident Jacob Martin has been acquitted of all charges by the Patiala House Court in a 22-year-old criminal case which stemmed from a 2004 FIR involving charges under Sections 420, 468, 471, and 120B of the IPC, as well as Section 12 of the Passport Act.
The court observed that there was no credible evidence regarding financial transactions or his ownership or control of the Ajwa Sports Club. Several witnesses also failed to substantiate the allegations.
Because the name was big and I was an international cricketer, because of that, “My name was not even in the FIR, but when the investigation took place, I was involved in this case. Because of this, but this judgment that has come now- I have got a clean chit; it will be a big settlement for my life and very… after 22 years, this… appeal I have received is a very big U-turn for my life,” he added, so I had a lot of stress. Speaking to the media, Martin said the case arose after a member of his 2004 team overstayed his UK visa and returned to India after obtaining a fake immigration stamp. And after the case ended, this… now, after 22 years… during these 22 years, I was not getting any answers from the BCCI either; I lost my job in the railways.
He said his name was later added during the investigation despite not being mentioned in the original FIR, which he attributed to his profile as an international cricketer.
