New Delhi: The BCCI chief-in-exile, N Srinivasan, on Wednesday submitted an undertaking in Supreme Court saying that if he is elected BCCI President, he will keep himself away from all the IPL related issues.

The Tamil Nadu strongman is also seeking SC permission to contest BCCI election.

Meanwhile, the Indian cricket board has opposed setting up of high power panel to look into conflict of interest issue and punishment to be meted out on the basis of Mudgal committee. "Appointment of high power committee could affect BCCI's autonomy,"  BCCI told SC.

The apex court told BCCI that game of cricket will collapse if people's confidence in the sport is not restored.

In its early observations on Tuesday in the course of day-long arguments in the IPL cricket case, the Supreme Court seemed to have made it clear to Mr N. Srinivasan that he has to choose between the BCCI and his IPL franchise Chennai Super Kings.

There were more searching questions for the embattled administrator and cricket board in the hearing before the judges suggested later in the day that a new high-powered committee be set up to cleanse cricket.

As the BCCI AGM is scheduled to be held in Chennai on December 17, it remains to be seen whether the SC would allow Srinivasan to contest in the elections when the hearing resumes Wednesday morning.

“If you wish to contest as president, your investment is endangered. If you don’t fight the elections, your investment is safe,” the apex court observed.

Again, later observations seemed to suggest that the doors had not been shut totally on the cricket strong man.

After rejecting BCCI’s several options including the suggestion to hand over the issue to the Board’s Behaviour Committee comprising the likes of Ravi Shastri, Amitabh Choudhary and Sanjay Patel, the SC hinted at setting up a high-powered committee consisting of retired judges to suggest measures for cleansing the game and ascertain if there was conflict of interest involving Srinivasan

Chennai: The D-Day is fast approaching for N. Srinivasan. The hearing on the IPL spot-fixing and betting scandal will resume at the Supreme Court on Monday and Srinivasan’s high-profile counsel Kapil Sibal has a challenging task ahead in arguing the case for the BCCI chief-in-exile.

At the previous hearing last week, the apex court had raised a few questions regarding the franchisee owners of the Chennai Super Kings and lawyer Sibal, a former minister in the UPA government, will put forth his counter.

The odds are stacked heavily against the TN strongman as the court, so far, has indicated that it’s keen on cleaning up Indian cricket.

As the Bench had also observed that CSK should be scrapped without any further enquiry, the India Cements lawyer is expected to explain the impact of the franchise’s termination that would have on the stakeholders and the tournament.

The powers that be in the BCCI are also eagerly waiting for the SC judgment after the judges had called for fresh Board elections with all those involved in the IPL scam to stand aside.
The BCCI AGM is scheduled to be held in Chennai on December 17.

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Thursday asked the Board of Control for Cricket in India to disqualify Chennai Super Kings (CSK) without further enquiry on Thursday.

The apex court, during its hearing of Justice Mukul Mudgal panel report, also demanded to know the exact shareholding pattern of India Cements in the ownership of Chennai-based IPL team.

The hearing on Justice Mukul Mudgal panel report on Indian Premier League (IPL) spot-fixing scandal was resumed on Thursday.

The Supreme Court on Tuesday said that N. Srinivasan’s son-in-law Gurunath Meiyappan’s role in IPL betting and spot-fixing scandal seemed like “insider trading” and agreed to hear a plea for making public the names of cricketers, who were mentioned in the Justice Mudgal Committee report.

On Monday, the apex court said, “Can’t make a distinction between BCCI and Indian Premier League (IPL). IPL is a by product of BCCI.”

“Some people who are in BCCI now own a team. It has become a mutual benefit society. Ownership of team raises conflict of interest. BCCI chief has to run the show but you have a team which raises questions. Can BCCI president own a team? How far is this fair?”

The apex court also slammed N Srinivasan after he expressed his desire to resume his duties as the chief of Board of Control for Cricket in India, saying, “Please do not go by the report that you (N Srinivasan) are not involved in the betting and spot-fixing and scuttling the probe. Despite all this your official is involved, which will affect you.”

 “Don’t presume anything,” the bench said, adding, “You are contesting the election by saying that you are not involved, but somebody close to you is involved.”

“One of the employees (Gurunath Meiyappan) of your team was involved in betting. You have to reply because it will affect the position and the dignity of the BCCI president’s position. The benefit of doubt should go to the game and not an individual,” the bench said.

New Delhi: The Mudgal Committee investigating the allegations of spot fixing and betting in the Indian Premier League's (IPL) sixth edition has given a clean chit to BCCI president in exile N Srinivasan. The Supreme Court on Monday made parts of the report available to the public.

The panel confirmed to the Supreme Court that Srinivasan was not found to be involved in scuttling probe into match fixing scam. Srinivasan has been given a clean chit in both spot-fixing and betting involvement. However, the report has exonerated Srinivasan's son-in-law Gurunath Meiyappan of spot-fixing charges, but found him involved in betting. Srinivasan and other BCCI officials were aware of Meiyappan's activities but didn't take any action, further confirmed in the report.

The Mukul Mudgal committee said: "Investigations have confirmed that this individual was a team official of a franchise. He was frequently meeting individual 2 in his hotel room. This strengthens the conclusion of the committee ... that individual 1 was in close touch with individual 2."

"The forensic report of the voice sample analysis further confirms the voice of this individual in the conversation with the person acting as a go between, between this individual and bookies. Consequently, the divergent in the two reports dated 8.2.2014 and 9.2.2014 about the voice sample belonging to this individual gets resolved and the report thus becomes unanimous about the betting activity of this individual."

According to the committee, the then owner of Rajasthan Royals Raj Kundra was also in contact with bookies and was placing bets on matches. Moreovwer, IPL COO Sundar Raman knew a contact of a bookie and had contacted him eight times in one season.

Earlier, on Friday, the Supreme Court had revealed the names of Srinivasan, his son-in-law Meiyappan, Kundra and Sundar Raman among the non-players, who were being probed. The court had served notices to the four and scheduled the next hearing to November 24.

New Delhi: Former BCCI president N Srinivasan, his son-in-law Gurunath Meiyappan, Rajasthan Royals co-owner Raj Kundra, IPL COO Sundar Raman and crickerters Owais Shah and Stuart Binny were probed by the Justice Mukul Mudgal panel for alleged spot-fixing in the Indian Premier League 2013, the Supreme Court disclosed on Friday. 

The Supreme Court said it has seen the Mudgal committee report and it did suggest some misdemeanour on part of certain individuals.Supreme Court ordered non-disclosure of names of the players who have been indicted in the Mudgal Committee report. The apex court inadvertently named players Owais Shah and Stuart Binny. Next hearing will be held on November 24.

Justice Mukul Mudgal who led the probe panel said.SC said that the copy of the report be provided to BCCI, Srinivasan and other non-players. It also asked BCCI, Srinivasan and other non-players who are named in the report to file their objections within four days of the receipt.

Certain findings recorded by committee are understood to have indicted some individuals whose conduct has been investigated. The Annual General Meeting of BCCI for holding elections has pstponed. Earlier, the apex court declared that it will examine the report which investigated the accusations of betting and also decide whether it could me made public. However, petitioner Amit Verma has called for the report to be made public in the interest of the sport. There could be new trouble for Gurunath Meiyappan whose audio tapes have been verified by the forensic department.

New Dheli:The Justice Mukul Mudgal committee’s final report, submitted to the Supreme Court on Monday, has reportedly named a key member of India’s World Cup-winning team and touched upon his links with illegal bookmakers and match fixers.

The player is not a Team India regular anymore but was a big draw for his team in IPL last year, the season that ended with the arrest of three Rajasthan Royals players and a Chennai Super Kings official, Gurunath Meiyappan, on match-fixing and betting charges. Interestingly, he wasn’t a part of the Chennai or Jaipur franchises — the two teams under the scanner.

During their probe, the investigators stumbled upon a three-year-old tape that hinted at a ‘fix’ that went wrong. B B Mishra, the IPS officer appointed by the SC to help the Mudgal panel, summoned the player and questioned him.

Several players from the current Indian team have appeared before the investigators. It is learnt that the CSK players were asked about the role Meiyappan, son-in-law of ICC chairman N Srinivasan, played in decision making at the franchise. The report is expected to nail Meiyappan as his voice sample from the audio tape, where he is heard placing bets on IPL games involving CSK, have been authenticated by forensic reports.

 If the Mudgal report indicts certain individuals, the court will have to take a call on whether to wait for the police to complete its probe and file its chargesheet, or issue some other orders on an urgent basis. The committee also comprised Solicitor General L Nageshwara Rao, senior advocate Niloy Duta, B B Mishra and ex-India captain Sourav Ganguly.

Numbers conceal identity

To maintain secrecy and avoid leaks, the Justice Mukul Mudgal committee’s final report has avoided taking any names. Instead, those probed by the panel are referred to by numbers. The key, which lists the names next to the corresponding numbers assigned to them, will only be given to the required judges.