Kolkata police filed charges on Thursday against fast bowler Mohammed Shami, who has been accused of various crimes including assault and sexual harassment by his estranged wife Hasin Jahan.
Shami, who is expected to lead India’s pace attack in the upcoming cricket World Cup in England and Wales, has been locked in a protracted legal battle with Jahan since March 2018.
Jahan, a former model, publicly accused Shami of having numerous affairs and harassment.
“The chargesheet has been filed against Shami under IPC 498 A (for mental and physical torture, and dowry harassment) and 354 A (for sexual harassment and assault),” Dip Narayan Pakrashi, public prosecutor in the eastern city of Kolkata, told AFP.
“If charges are proved (in court), the punishment may amount to five years imprisonment and fine,” Pakrashi added.
Shami has dismissed all the accusations as a campaign to defame him.
Jahan has also accused Shami of corruption.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India had withheld Shami’s central contract last season pending a review into a series of allegations made by his wife, including corruption and even attempted murder.
Shami was soon cleared of corruption charges by the BCCI and offered an annual retainer ship contract by the world’s richest cricket board, which was repeated this season as well.
Shami, who was a doubt for the Indian Premier League season in 2018, eventually came back to play in the T20 event before going on a great run of form in England and Australia in the Tests. That eventually saw him return to the Indian team in the 50-over format as well.
Hasin Jahan’s lawyer Zakir Hussain is quoted as saying by News18, “The court will take cognizance on Friday of the names mentioned in the chargesheet for notices to be served to the accused. Also a notice will be served to the complainant on whether she wants to file a protest appeal against the names of three accused being dropped from the chargesheet.”
The News18 report also added that the chargesheet did not included the names of Shami’s parents and his sister in law while his brother Haseeb Ahmed was named.
(With AFP inputs)