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TUESDAY JAN 29, (News Locale) - Indian off-spinner Harbhajan Singh, who was at the center of a racial abuse row, has been exonerated of the charges. But New Zealand judge John Hansen, who is the ICC-appointed appeals commissioner, fined the player for verbal abuse.
It was an anti-climax to what had been a charged issued between the two sides following the acrimonious Sydney Test. However the Board of Cricket Control in India had maintained that unless Bhajji was cleared of the racial abuse charges, they would call of the tour.
Earlier South African match referee Mike Proctor had banned Harbhajan for three Tests despite there being no evidence against him. But the BCCI had refused to accept this ruling and had threatened to call off the Tour unless the 27-year-old off-spinner was cleared off the charges.
In a separate issue, Indians had also filed verbal abuse charges against Brad Hogg, but withdrew the charges on the eve of the Perth Test. However the charges against Harbhajan stood because a decision had already been made. An appeal was filed by him, which was taken up today.
Conspiracy theories in the media had hinted that Harbhajan used the word "monkey" in his verbal duel with Symonds on Day 3 of the ongoing Sydney Test in the India-Australia series. But Harbhajan was quick to deny this allegation and his batting partner at that time, Sachin Tendulkar said all the talk was about "friendship."
No one seems to know what was said there but Aussie captain Ricky Ponting complained to the on-field umpires Mark Benson and Steve Bucknor who have laid a charge against the wily off-spinner.
The alleged breach of norm falls under the 3.3 of the ICC Code of Conduct which states players or officials are likely to be punished for "using language or gestures that offends, insults, humiliates, intimidates, threatens, disparages or vilifies another person on the basis of that person's race, religion, gender, colour, descent, or national or ethic origin".
However reports from Australia indicated that Ricky Ponting and Sachin Tendulkar had written a joint letter to Hansen asking him to reduce the charges to verbal abuse only under the section 2.8.
The Indians were represented by Harbhajan Singh, Sachin Tendulkar and media manager M V Shridhar, while the Aussies came in with Captain Ricky Ponting, Andrew Symonds, Mathew Hayden and Michael Clarke.
Following the clearance of racial abuse charges, Team India was all set to travel to Melbourne for a Tewnty20 game against Australia before participating in the Commonwealth One-day series, which also involves Sri Lanka.
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