The Supreme Court on Tuesday issued a 48-hour ultimatum to BCCI president N Srinivasan to step down from his post, marking the climax of one of the most unsavoury sagas to hit Indian cricket. The court’s direction came on the basis of an expert committee’s report that exposed Srinivasan’s son-in-law Gurunath Meiyappan’s role in a betting racket involving the IPl team Chennai Super Kings, owned by the BCCI chief.
The beleaguered Srinivasan now appears isolated even within the BCCI as three of the five vice-presidents — Shivlal Yadav, Ravi Sawant and Chitrak Mitra — asked him to abide by the SC’s observation.
Earlier, issuing the direction to the BCCI counsel, Justices AK Patnaik and FM Ibrahim Kalifulla said if Srinivasan did not demit office in two days, they will pass a suitable order. BCCI counsel CA Sundaram assured the court to seek instructions by Thursday. Earlier, the bench made him read portions of the explosive report submitted in a sealed cover by the Justice Mukul Mudgal Committee. Even though what the report said about Srinivasan was not revealed, but the way the BCCI counsel lapsed into silence after reading it, clearly showed that the bench had serious reasons to throw Srinivasan out of the cricket administration.
“In our opinion Srinivasan has to step down if there has to be a fair investigation,” the bench said. In an obvious reference to the pending investigation being conducted by the Mumbai Police into the spot-fixing allegations, the bench added: “If allegations (in the police report and committee’s probe) are to be verified, the first thing is that the man at the top must go.”
The bench observed: “The allegations are such that the BCCI cannot be entrusted with a fair and dispassionate investigation.” Referring to the confidential report, the bench said: “It is so nauseating that it says he (Srinivasan) has to step down.”
The committee, also comprising senior lawyers lN Rao and Nilay Dutta had exposed the nexus of BCCI officials, players and betting agents, hinting at the dangerous links it had with the underworld. It proposed a slew of corrective measures to ensure that the lost honour of the game of cricket, known as a gentleman’s game, was restored. But the bench expressed serious apprehensions whether the BCCI would act on the suggestions.
When the BCCI counsel began to pick technical faults in the committee’s findings to seek a way out from complying with all suggestions proposed by the Mudgal Committee, the court said: “Why should these things happen in the first placeIJ” During the hearing, the bench gave enough indications to show its dissatisfaction over the handling of the betting probe by BCCI bosses.
“Whether you will act according to it (committee report) is a big question. If cricket has to remain clean why should these things happenIJ It is because people who are in control have not taken any steps to control the situation,” the bench observed
Referring to the initial probe committee constituted by the BCCI, which the Bombay High Court struck down as illegal, the bench said that the findings of the committee exonerating the BCCI boss was in contra to the police investigation report. “Can we say the probe committee report was managed by BCCI,” said the bench, sharing its anxiety whether a fair probe could be expected from the apex cricket body.
This came as a clear indictment of the BCCI and its top boss Srinivasan in the betting scandal that is expected to take in its stride several capped players in IPl, who though not named in the report due to lack of evidence, could face scrutiny on basis of a probe by the police.Interestingly, after the SC’s observation, three of the five vice-presidents; Shivlal Yadav, Ravi Sawant and Chitrak Mitra; asked Srinivasan to abide by the SC’s observation.
“SC has given the order, nobody can challenge it. We have to accept it. Since the SC has given an order, there is no question of going back on it or giving an opinion on that. It has to be carried out in total and BCCI will have to follow whatever the Apex Court has given,” Yadav, a vice-president representing South Zone, said. Asked if he was willing to do the duty, he said, “Absolutely, I am ready to accept any responsibility given to me.”
Another vice-president Ravi Sawant, who is representing West Zone, asked Srinivasan to resign within the next two days, before the matter comes up before the SC. “The SC is the highest authority. If the SC has said (Srinivasan must step down), nothing can be done,” Sawant said. “If there is a vacancy (in the post of BCCI president), the GBM of the BCCI will decide (who will occupy the vacant chair),” he added.
Vice-President from East Zone, Chitrak Mitra said that a full-fledged president will take over after Srinivasan steps down. Former cricketers Mohinder Amarnath and Bishan Singh Bedi and ex-BCCI administrator and former Rajasthan Cricket Association president Kishore Rungta also called for Srinivasan’s stepping down.