Johannesburg: West Indian international cricketer Fabian Allen faced a distressing incident of gunpoint mugging outside the team hotel in Johannesburg. The 28-year-old all-rounder, representing the Paarl Royals franchise in the SA20 league, was targeted by assailants armed with a gun.

The incident took place near the renowned Sandton Sun Hotel in the early hours of January 25, raising concerns about player safety in the SA20 league. The perpetrators forcibly took Allen's phone, along with personal belongings, including a bag.

Multiple sources connected to the Paarl Royals team, SA20, and Cricket West Indies (CWI) confirmed the mugging. A CWI source reassured that Allen is unharmed, and a representative from the West Indies board expressed relief after establishing contact with the player.

"Our head coach Andre Coley, also hailing from Jamaica, reached out to Fabian. Contact was successfully established through Obed McCoy (another West Indies international). He is fine. CSA (Cricket South Africa) and his team, Paarl Royals, could share more details if there are any," stated a top CWI official.

This incident follows a recent security-related episode involving SA20 players, marking the second season of the league, currently at the play-offs stage. Paarl Royals, owning the Rajasthan Royals side in the Indian Premier League (IPL), issued a statement ensuring Allen's safety.

"Following the incident, the player was provided with the necessary support by the franchise and the league, and was keen to continue his participation at the SA20, and has since been available for selection (twice also featuring in the playing XI for the Royals)," the statement said.

The franchise added that Allen is safe, enjoying his time at the SA20, and preparing for the all-important Eliminator on Wednesday. The Paarl Royals franchise emphasized its commitment to player safety and well-being, collaborating with the league for both security measures and personal time.

Source: Cricbuzz

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New Delhi (PTI): The Supreme Court on Wednesday took suo motu cognisance of the contents of the class 8 NCERT textbook referring to corruption in the judiciary and termed it a matter of "grave concern."

A bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M Pancholi was urged by senior advocate Kapil Sibal that "children of class 8 are taught about corruption in the judiciary. This is a matter of grave concern."

The CJI said, "I will not allow anybody to defame the institution. Law will take its course."

He added, "As head of the institution, I have done my duty and have taken cognisance … This seems to be a calculated move. I won't say much."

Justice Bagchi said the book seemed to be against the basic structure of the Constitution.

The CJI said, "Please wait for a few days. Bar and Bench all are perturbed. All high court judges are perturbed. I will take up the matter suo motu. I will not allow anybody to defame the institution. Law will take its course."

Later, Justice Kant said that the top court has taken suo motu cognisance of the matter.

Corruption, massive backlog of cases, and lack of an adequate number of judges are among the "challenges" faced by the judicial system, according to the new social science NCERT textbook for class 8.

The section "corruption in the judiciary" in the new book states that judges are bound by a code of conduct that governs not only their behaviour in court, but also how they conduct themselves outside it.