New Delhi/Mumbai: The Supreme Court on Tuesday allowed N. Srinivasan to take charge as president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) even as the nation’s top court constituted a new panel to investigate allegations of spot fixing and betting in this year’s Indian Premier League (IPL) matches.
add_main_imageThe bench headed by Justice A.K. Patnaik asked Srinivasan to cooperate with the probe panel and forbade him or BCCI from interfering in its functioning.
Srinivasan was re-elected unopposed as president of BCCI on 29 September during BCCI’s annual meeting.NextMAds
Cricket Association of Bihar, which had approached the court prior to the cricket board elections, had argued that Srinivasan should not be allowed to head BCCI as his son-in-law Gurunath Meiyappan was involved in betting on IPL matches. Meiyappan is the team principal of Chennai Super Kings, a franchise owned by India Cements Ltd. Srinivasan is the managing director of India Cements. Meiyappan has been accused of relaying insider information to bookies, being involved in spot fixing and placing bets, according to a chargesheet filed by the Mumbai police.
A two-member probe panel comprising former judges T. Jayaram Chouta and R. Balasubramanian, appointed by the cricket board, had earlier cleared Meiyappan of the charges. The new three-member panel, which was proposed by the court on Tuesday, will be headed by Mukul Mudgal, a retired Chief Justice of Punjab and Haryana Court. Additional solicitor general L. Nageshwar Rao, and Niloy Dutta, a former umpire and a member of the Assam Cricket Association respectively, are the other two members of the panel.
The court has also directed the panel to complete the enquiry “preferably within four months”.
Determining the scope of the investigation, the court said that the panel will look into allegations of spot fixing and betting during the matches. The panel is also likely to go into the question of “termination of franchise arising from betting and gambling” despite opposition from BCCI.
“We will abide by the apex court’s order,” said a top BCCI official, who did not want to be named. “It is binding upon BCCI and we will comply with it in letter and spirit.” He declined to comment on the reinstatement of Srinivasan as president of the board.
A. Sundaram, counsel for BCCI, said “we (BCCI) are very happy because Srinivasan can now take charge and BCCI can continue to function normally”.sixthMAds
The probe panel will investigate the irregularities committed by BCCI members, if any, even as the police investigation that has been going on in the matter and the subsequent judicial process will continue independently.
Welcoming the court’s decision, Aditya Verma, secretary, Cricket Association of Bihar, said “the fact that the Supreme Court has appointed a panel to investigate the corruption in the IPL is in itself a very big thing for me. The Supreme Court’s final decision based on this report will be crucial for the sport. Whether N. Srinivasan has been allowed to perform his duties as president of the BCCI or not, is not a matter of concern for me anymore”.
BCCI has also been made responsible for bearing all expenses of the panel. Each member “will be entitled to a fee of one lakh rupees per working day” according to the apex court’s order.
Gauri Shah in Mumbai contributed to this story.
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