BANGALORE: Anil Kumble India’s highest wicket-taker in Tests with 600-plus scalps is finding it hard to play a googly thrown by his wife Chethana’s former husband Kumar V Jahgirdar. Chethana’s ex-husband has filed a criminal case in the Bharathinagar station here alleging Kumble of impersonating him (Jahgirdar) and signing the application for re-issue of his minor daughter’s passport. Jahgirdar, a stock broker, said that he did not get a response from Chethana when he sought to know the developments regarding their daughter’s passport renewal.
Being the biological father, Jahgirdar filed an application under the Right to Information Act (RTI), seeking documents regarding his daughter’s passport-reissue application. Jahgirdar added that both the mandatory documents needed to issue passport to a minor require signatures of the biological father. When he procured a copy of these documents, he discovered that somebody else had signed. He alleges that the signature is that of Anil Kumble.
He added that he procured a copy of the cricketer’s passport, too, through RTI and noted that the signature on it resembles the signature on the application for their daughter’s passport. Further, Jahgirdar said a copy of Kumble’s passport has been attached as the father’s passport.
Jahgirdar alleged that Anil Kumble has pretended to be the biological father of his daughter and impersonated him by affixing his own signature. Further, Jahgirdar said he had trusted his ex-wife to keep him informed about the developments regarding his daughter’s passport, in accordance with the court’s order.
Jahgirdar said Kumble and Chethana have committed a serious offence, which amounts to forgery, misappropriation and impersonation, apart from other offences punishable under Indian Passport Act and various provisions of Indian Penal Code. Bharathinagar police in Bangalore have registered a case and are investigating the matter.
Meanwhile, the High Court issued notices to the Bangalore City Police Commissioner and the police Inspector of the Bharathinagar station, in connection with a petition filed by Jahgirdar. Jahgirdar had moved the High Court seeking it to direct the Bharathinagar police to file a First Information Report against Kumble in connection with the forgery case he had recently filed against the cricketer.
In the petition, Jahgirdar submitted that the Bharathinagar police have not filed an FIR though the case was cognisable in nature. Seeking explanation into the issue, the High Court issued notices to the Police Commissioner and the inspector of the concerned police station. A couple of months ago, Kumble, who is the President of the Karnataka State Cricket Association, resigned as the Chairman of the National Cricket Academy over conflict of interest. He is also a Mentor of the IPL team Royal Challengers Bangalore.