Fielder dies after being hit by a ball: Madras HC quashes criminal plaint against cork ball cricket match organisers

CHENNAI: The Madras High Court quashed the criminal case filed against two persons for organising a cork ball cricket match in which a fielder died when the ball hit his chest.

Justice G Jayachandran wrote that since the deceased, Loganathan, had voluntarily participated in the match, and neither the batsman nor the organiser had the intention to cause death, the criminal case against the organisers had no legal standing, and quashed the complaint under IPC Section 87.

Loganathan’s father Dhamodiran appeared before the court and sought compensation for the loss of his son. The judge directed the legal service authority in Tiruvallur to explore the scheme available to provide compensation to the family, and forward a recommendation to the district collector within two months. The collector was directed to pass appropriate an order expeditiously.

The judge wrote: “It’s common that youth play cricket using a cork ball, and it’s not prohibited. The FIR indicates that the incident was unfortunate as the ball hit the fielder who eventually succumbed to death.”

Petitioners R Rasu and Dhamodiran had conducted a cork ball cricket match at Tiruvallur between two local teams – Punnapakkam Cricket Club and Puthuvallur Cricket Club. Loganathan, a third year law student, had participated in the match voluntarily. The ball hit Loganathan on the chest while he was trying to catch it. He got injured and later died.

Based on the complaint lodged by his father, police registered a case against the duo for organising the match.