Ousted as BCCI chief following IPl match fixing probe pending against him, N Srinivasan got succour from the Supreme Court, which on Thursday refused to interfere with his election as Chairman of the international cricket body - International Cricket Council.
With the polls to ICC due on June 27, the Cricket Association of Bihar (CAB) approached the Apex Court to stall the appointment of Srinivasan as Chairman of the International body. The CAB through senior advocate Ajit Kumar Sinha argued that Srinivasan had secured a place to contest in the polls as head of the Indian cricket body BCCI. Since he had stepped down as BCCI President, Sinha submitted that as a consequence he was disqualified to take part in the ICC elections too.
CAB suggested that a person, who had been restrained from functioning as the BCCI President till the conclusion of probe, cannot be allowed to contest for the post of President of the ICC.The Vacation Bench of Justices JS Khehar and C Nagappan refused to entertain the plea, maintaining that its earlier order was not “in conflict” with his election to ICC. The bench said, “There is no conflict and our order is clear,” the bench said, while dismissing CAB's petition.
Presently Srinivasan is facing a probe by Justice Mukul Mudgal Committee after the Apex Court, on May 16, was commissioned by the Apex Court to examine the role of 13 persons (including Srinivasan) in the IPl spot-fixing scandal. The Committee is expected file a report in a sealed envelope by the end of August.Earlier, Srinivasan, during the summer vacation, had moved the Apex Court seeking modification of earlier orders to enable him to function as BCCI President for non-IPl cricketing activities. The plea was turned down as it asked Srinivasan to approach the bench which had delivered the verdict.
As the controversy arose just before the IPl tournament was to start, the Court had appointed cricketer Sunil Gavaskar as interim president of BCCI in charge of IPl affairs. A senior Vice-President Shiv lal Yadav was asked to cater to non-IPl matters.