Pakistan cricketer Shoaib Malik’s 10-day ordeal has come to an end on Monday with the Andhra Pradesh high court directing the Hyderabad to return his passport, which they had confiscated on April 5.
Justice C V Nagarjuna Reddy, who heard Shoaib’s petition on April 16, gave the direction after Advocate General D V Sitaram Murthy told the court that the police had already submitted a report to the Nampally criminal courts, stating that they had closed all the cases and dropped all charges against Shoaib on April 17.
While ordering that the police return Shoaib's passport immediately, the judge remarked that the Pakistan cricketer was free to leave the country any time. The passport is expected to be handed over to Shoaib by Tuesday morning, after completion of all formalities at the lower court.
The Hyderabad police had filed case of cheating, criminal intimidation and harassment against Shoaib, following a complaint from his first wife Ayesha Siddiqui. They had taken away his passport and submitted it to the 13th Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate. They asked him not to leave the country.
Shoaib, who had initially denied that he had not married Ayesha Siddiqui, had no other option but to admit the same after coming to know that she had produced solid evidences to the police about the marriage. With the intervention of the Muslim community leaders, Shoaib finally gave divorce to Ayesha on April 7 and subsequently, she withdrew the case against him.
