A defiant BCCI chief N Srinivasan dug in his heels and refused vehemently to resign from his post over his son-in-law and arrested Chennai Super Kings (CSK) team principal Gurunath Meiyappan's alleged involvement in the IPl spot-fixing scam, even as the Mumbai Police accused the latter of placing "huge bets" on T20 matches and passing on his team's strategy to bookies.
On a day when Metropolitan Magistrate MP Paaghe remanded Meiyappan to the city Crime Branch sleuths' custody till May 29, Srinivasan rejected outright the growing clamour for his resignation by asserting that he could not be “bulldozed or railroaded” into putting in his papers.
Talking to mediapersons on his arrival at the city airport from Madurai, an unfazed Srinivasan said: “I have done nothing wrong. I have no intention to resign. I cannot be bulldozed or railroaded into resigning. Some sources are trying to apply pressure (on me) now. There is no question about it (resigning). The BCCI will follow strictly all its rules and the law will take its course”.
Srinivasan's defiance came on a day when the Mumbai Crime Branch sleuths investigating the IPl spot-fixing scam made significant revelations before a city court: that they were in possession of the officially recorded mobile conversations between Meiyappan and arrested Bollywood actor Vindoo Singh Randhawa relating to betting, that the accused CSK team principal had placed "huge bets" on T20 matches, that he (Meiyappan) had passed on information about his team's strategy to bookies and that he had allegedly forged documents to obtain mobile phones (used for betting purpose) on some other names.
37-year-old Meiyappan, who was arrested by the Mumbai Police shortly before midnight on Friday, has been booked for offences registered under sections 465, 466, 468, 471 (all dealing with forgery), 419, 420 (cheating), 212 ( harbouring offender), 120-B read with 34 (conspiracy with common intention), sections 4 and 5 of the Bombay Prevention of Gambling Act, 1887 and section 66 A (a) of the Information Technology Act 2000.
In their remand application made before a city court, the investigators told the city court that they needed Meiyappan's remand for seven days on the grounds that they intended to confront him with Vindoo, and they wanted to find out the nature of the link he had with controversial Pakistani umpire Asad Rauf.
They also wanted to ascertain from the accused the identities of the bookies other than Vindoo that he was in touch with and the nature of the team strategy and game-related information he had passed onto bookies and the kind of betting he was indulging in through the arrested actor.
The investigators also said they wanted to take the voice sample of Meiyappan to match with the one in the tapes carrying telephonic conversation between him and Vindoo that they had in their possession, and they wanted to seize four mobile phones that the accused was using to place bets.
They also wanted to elicit information from the accused about the whereabouts of several bookies wanted in the IPl spot-fixing scam.
After the public prosecutor Wajid Shaikh sought seven days' police custody of Meiyappan on the grounds cited in the remand application, defence counsel Abad Ponda opposed the prosecution's prayer and dubbed his client's very arrest as "illegal", saying if a person appeared before the police pursuant to summons, he could not be arrested.
"Moreover, there is no wrongful gain and nobody was cheated. In fact, Meiyappan lost money," Ponda said, adding that the remand application was silent about Meiyappan's involvement in spot-fixing or match-fixing.
After hearing both sides, Magistrate Paaghe remanded Meiyappan in police custody till May 29.Earlier in the day, Srinivasan arrived in the city en route to Kolkata for Sunday's IPl-6 final between CSK and Mumbai Indians. Though there had been intense speculation that he would meet his arrested son-in-law, Srinivasan left for Kolkata later in the afternoon without meeting Meiyappan.
During his brief interaction with the media at the city airport, he rejected the clamour in various quarters for his resignation. later talking separately to a few television channels, he described the pressure being mounted on him for his resignation as an "orchestrated" one, and said there were a lot of "vested interests" who wanted him out of the office and that he would not succumb to pressure brought to bear on him.
"I have been elected as the BCCI chief. I do not see any reason for people to ask me to step down. I have seen the media baying for my blood and political parties saying I should resign. I have done nothing wrong. There is no question of my stepping down. Somebody wants to replace me, let them get elected," Srinivasan told a television news channel.
Maintaining that Meiyappan would be dealt with as sternly as was the case with others facing a similar situation, Srinivasan said: "If my son-in-law has been arrested, law has to take its course. He will defend himself but that is not a reason for me to step down as far as Gurunath is concerned, whatever steps or action has to be taken will be taken as done in the case of others. There will be no discrimination or change (in his case)".
Asked if his son-in-law had been involved in betting as was being alleged by the police, Srinivasan said: "I had no knowledge. Everybody knows I hardly watch a game. In fact I do not go to watch a CSK game. I hardly watch T 20 matches".
Replying to another question, Srinivasan said that his continuance as the BCCI chief would not come in the way of an "objective" and a "fair" probe into the allegations being made against his son-in-law.
"You can say as much so as you want to, the probe will be carried out. Whatever steps are to be taken will be taken objectively and fairly. You need not worry about that," the BCCI chief said.
"But at the same time, I repeat again, I am not going to relent. There are a lot of vested interests who do not want me possibly. Because, I play straight and I follow the rules. I am not the one to succumb to pressure," Srinivasan said, in reply to another query.
Queried as to who the "vested interests" are that wanted him out, the BCCI chief said: "Everybody knows. I do not have to spell it out".Blaming the media for holding a trial against him and his son-in-law, Srinivasan said: "The media has already tried all of us. The media has come to a conclusion. The media has gone overboard against me".
Meanwhile on Saturday, Mumbai Police Joint Commissioner of Police, Crime Branch Himanshu Roy told reporters that Meiyappan used to facilitate Vindoo's entry into the VIP Hospitality Box during CSK's fixtures during which he was spotted cheering the team alongside skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni's wife.
Vindoo, he said, also personally knew several players of the IPl franchise Kolkata Knight Riders.Roy said Asad Rauf "fled" India on being tipped off by Vindoo about an impending crackdown after the spot-fixing scandal was exposed with the arrest of three Rajasthan Royals players including India pacer S Sreesanth.
He said Mumbai Police had seized a 'gift parcel' containing high-end watches, denims and T shirts one of the bookies whom Vindoo had helped escape to Dubai had sent to Rauf from Delhi airport's cargo terminal.
Asked if Rauf was himself into betting or actively involved in spot or match-fixing, Roy said being an umpire it was difficult for him to do that but he could have manipulated the results through his umpiring decisions.
He said Rauf has not been made an accused in the betting case being probed by Mumbai police "as of now" though it has come across some instances of "impropriety" committed by the Pakistani umpire. On whether Mumbai Police would seek custody of Sreesanth for interrogation, Roy said no such decision has been taken "as of now".