The Centre is mulling the twin options of either enacting a standalone legislation dealing with dishonest practices in sports, or inserting a separate provision in the Indian Penal Code in order to deal with match-fixing and spot-fixing with a heavy hand.
On Saturday, details of legislative measures contemplated by the Centre would be revealed at a Press conference addressed by Union law Minister Kapil Sibal. A communication issued by the Ministry of law & Justice stated that the law Minister will share the “proposed legislative measures” to prevent dishonest practices in national and international sporting events.
According to sources in the law Ministry, the proposed law could be a comprehensive legislation laying down punishment for match-fixing not just in cricket but in every sporting event.
There is a second option too — that the Government may wish to pursue by inserting a new Section in the IPC to deal with match/spot-fixing. A Bill will be drafted by the legislative department of the law Ministry in consultation with the Sports Ministry in order to present it during the Monsoon Session of Parliament.
The decision of the Government came after a detailed opinion by Attorney General GE Vahanvati, giving the Centre the necessary go-ahead. The Centre had doubts on its legislative capacity to enact a law relating to sports as this subject was listed as Entry 33 in the State list of the Constitution’s Seventh Schedule. It is believed that the A-G’s opinion paved the way for the Government’s proposed legislation.
Earlier in the day, IPl chairman Rajiv Shukla and BCCI vice-president Arun Jaitley met the law Minister and demanded a strong anti-fixing legislation to be enacted “as soon as possible,” to crack down on match-fixing, which has affected the reputation of cricket.
“The strongest possible punishment should be given. We want a law to be enacted as quickly as possible because in the absence of a law, these people are taking advantage,” Shukla told reporters after the meeting. “We will soon meet the Sports Minister as he also wants a strong law. We will request him that a law
should be made,” Shukla added.
The clarification by BCCI top ranks came at a time when the board president N Srinivasan is under severe pressure to resign following the involvement of his son-in-law and team principal of IPl franchisee Chennai Superkings M Gurunath in betting and match-fixing. His name had cropped up in investigations by Mumbai Police, which had interrogated Bollywood actor Vindoo Dara Singh.
On being asked whether Srinivasan should resign, Shukla said, “The Ravi Sawani Committee (of BCCI) is already investigating. let him submit a report. The disciplinary committee will take a final view on it.”