The Mahendra Singh Dhoni-led Chennai Super King may be out of the Indian Premier league after the Supreme Court on Thursday observed there was enough evidence in the Justice Mukul Mudgal Committee report for the BCCI to blacklist this team. The team is virtually owned by BCCI president N Srinivasan through India Cement, a Chennai-based company where Srinivasan and his family members figure as promoters.
The Mudgal Committee report raised fingers at Srinivasan’s son-in-law Gurunath Meiyappan's role in the IPl betting scam as a CSK official. Srinivasan faces the charge that though he was the BCCI president, he did not act against CSK and Meiyappan because of conflict of interest.
Going into the inaction on part of Srinivasan to act against CSK and his son-in-law despite the Mumbai Police lodging an FIR against Meiyappan, the court hinted on the possibility of keeping Srinivasan out of BCCI's affairs while allowing the cricketing body to hold fresh elections at the earliest. Acting on a petition filed by the Cricket Association of Bihar that alleged conflict of interest behind Srinivasan's inability to act against the CSK and Meiyappan, petitioner's counsel Harish Salve showed from records how Srinivasan wore multiple hats as the BCCI chief, the Managing Director of India Cements and controlled CSK. The IPl Code of Conduct bars BCCI officials from owning IPl teams but Srinivasan has contended that he was not an owner of India Cements since his holding was just about four per cent in the company.
However, records show that Srinivasan and his family members control nearly 22 States in the company individually and through three investment companies.The petitioner pointed out that while Srinivasan was the Managing director of the company, his daughter was Board of Director. Salve also argued that Srinivasan took all decisions for the India Cement and also played an active role in selecting the team and the coach for CSK.
The Bench of justices TS Thakur and FM Ibrahim Kalifulla directed the company to produce the list of board members, its shareholding pattern and resolution by which a decision was taken to purchase CSK at an initial investment of Rs 400 crore. “We want to know who the real owner of CSK is,” the Bench observed.
Finding grounds to suspect conflict of interest, the Bench failed to understand why no consequences followed against CSK and Meiyappan. It said, “It is obvious there is a conflict between the duty of Srinivasan as BCCI president and his interest as a team official. Here is a team official which betted, so there should be immediate consequences.”
It told BCCI, “You have to act based on this report (of Mudgal panel). Two consequences will follow - what happens to CSK and what happens to Meiyappan, Srinivasan and Raj Kundra.” The court said it was not a “happy situation” that the old BCCI’s life is over and yet it is continuing. It asked the BCCI to state whether it would constitute its own disciplinary committee or allow Mudgal panel to decide on punishment for those indicted by it.
Giving proof of conflict of interest, Salve produced an email written by Srinivasan to IPl COO Sundar Raman finalising the umpires for the IPl tournament. This he wrote in his capacity as BCCI president although he was a Board member of the company that owned CSK. Even the bench picked fault with the appointment of Kasi Viswanathan, employed on the rolls of India Cement who also worked as Special Secretary in BCCI to assist Srinivasan.
The Bench said, “On one hand, you suggest that I hold negligible shares in India Cements as MD and on the other hand that very same company is paying salary to this man to assist a person (Srinivasan) who distances himself from this affair.” This distinction between Srinivasan as BCCI chief and India Cements MD is going to a “vanishing point”, the Bench observed. The court will continue hearing of the matter on Monday.
SRINI’SSIllYPOINT