'My name was not even in the FIR': Former India cricketer’s 22-year ordeal
Former Indian cricketer Jacob Martin has been acquitted of all charges in a 22-year-old criminal case involving forgery and passport violations. The court found no credible evidence to support the prosecution's claims regarding his involvement in a 2004 UK tour scandal.
Why it matters
The case highlights the extreme duration of legal proceedings in the Indian judicial system and the personal impact of long-term criminal allegations on public figures.
For most cricketers, the innings that define them are played out in the middle. Jacob Martin's longest battle was fought in a courtroom.The former India batsman was acquitted in a 22-year-old criminal case tied to a controversial 2004 cricket tour of the United Kingdom. The Patiala House Court in Delhi cleared the Vadodara resident of all charges: forgery, cheating, criminal conspiracy and offences under the Passport Act.The case traced back to a 2004 FIR invoking Sections 420, 468, 471 and 120B of the IPC alongside Section 12 of the Passport Act. Prosecutors alleged a forged UK immigration stamp, dubious travel arrangements and financial transactions involving Martin. None of it held up.Nor did the court find credible evidence of Martin owning or controlling Ajwa Sports Club, the club at the centre of the allegations. Witness after witness failed to back the prosecution's case, and the charges collapsed.Martin is 54 now.
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