By IANS
Adelaide : The decision that the New Zealand High Court Judge, Justice John Hansen, will take this week in the case of racial slur, involving off-spinner Harbhajan Singh, will be binding on all parties.
Justice Hansen, who has been appointed Appeal Commissioner by the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) Code of Conduct Commission, will brief the media about the procedure to be adopted at the hearing at 10.30 a.m. Monday at Favell Dansie Indoor Cricket Centre, opposite Sir Donald Bradman Stand here.
“Justice Hansen will, however, not take any questions at the briefing,” ICC said in a statement here Sunday.
“Under the provisions of the ICC Code of Conduct, Justice Hansen has the power to increase, decrease, amend or otherwise substitute his own decision from that made at the previous hearing, and his decision is final and binding,” it said.
Once Justice Hansen has reached his decision, he would provide it in writing to Urvasi Naidoo, ICC’s senior counsel and company secretary, who will then forward it to Harbhajan Singh, ICC match referee Mike Procter, and ICC CEO Malcolm Speed ahead of any public announcement.
Harbhajan was found guilty of making a racist remark to Australia’s Andrew Symonds during the second Test in Sydney in the first week on this month.
The charge was laid by the on-field ICC’s Elite Panel umpires Steve Bucknor of the West Indies and Mark Benson of England on day three of the Test, following a complaint they received from Australia captain Ricky Ponting.
Ponting made the complaint after the 116th over of India’s first innings, prior to which Harbhajan is alleged to have made a racist comment directed at Symonds.
Procter conducted the hearing after the Test concluded Jan 6. Harbhajan pleaded not guilty to the charge. Procter found that the case was proved and imposed a ban of three Test matches on the India spinner.
According to the Code of Conduct regulations, Harbhajan, after he appealed against the punishment, was allowed to continue to play pending verdict on the appeal being given.