Supreme Court order will hold the key to the future of the team
N. Srinivasan owns the IPL franchise Chennai Super Kings
New Delhi: The observations by the Supreme court bench on the conflict of interest with regard to N. Srinivasan heading the BCCI while owning the IPL franchise Chennai Super Kings owing to his position as Managing Director of India Cements clouds the future of the city team.
The popular and successful IPL team was recently hived off as a separate division within India Cements, but the ownership remains that of the cement major. The order of the Supreme Court, to be given when the current hearing concludes, will hold the key to the future of the team.
“Please do not go by the report that you are not involved in the betting and spot-fixing and scuttling the probe. Despite all this your official is involved, which will affect you,” the Supreme Court bench of Justices T.S. Thakur and P.M. Kalifullah told Mr N. Srinivasan’s counsel, Mr Kapil Sibal, who pleaded that the report has nothing against him.
“Don’t presume anything,” the bench said, adding, “You are contesting the election by saying that you are not involved, but somebody close to you is involved.”
“One of the employees (Gurunath Meiyappan) of your team was involved in betting. You have to reply because it will affect the position and the dignity of the BCCI president’s position. The benefit of doubt should go to the game and not an individual,” the bench said.
“If people know that a game is fixed, who will visit the stadium? In India, cricket is like a religion. Recognition comes when one lakh people in Eden Gardens applaud,” the judges added while making observations as counsel on both sides laid out their arguments.
The hearing resumes on Tuesday. Cricket has to be played in the true spirit of the game and it should remain a gentleman’s game, the bench stressed. It said there was no option for the BCCI but to take action on the basis of the Justice Mukul Mudgal Committee report which found aberrations in IPL-6.
“There are billions in the country who are passionate without any stakes,” the bench said, adding, “You want to sit over the liquidation of the game”.
The BCCI on the day also sought to keep the Mudgal report under wraps on the grounds that it would affect the careers of cricketers named in it.
Mr Srinivasan was suspended as BCCI president by the Supreme Court for the duration of the probe. Mr Srinivasan had called Mr Meiyappan a “cricket enthusiast” who was not a stake-holder in the team even though the latter made his presence felt prominently in team colours and alongside skipper and Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni and team officials at various platforms.
Counsel assumes MSD is Individual No. 2:
M.S. Dhoni’s name came up in court on Monday, but only as part of an argument, according to a report on ESPNCricinfo. While asking the supreme court to name the teams and the individuals, Cricket Association of Bihar counsel Nalini Chidambaram said she “would like to know who is the individual” and went on to say “assuming Individual No.2 is Mr MS Dhoni.” For that one of the judges said, “assume and argue.”
Chidambaram added, “Supposing Individual No. 2 is a member of CSK then we have to know what were the findings about his dealing with Mr Meiyappan.” At this point CA Sundaram, representing BCCI, said the board had asked for the names not to be revealed, “this is the kind of speculation we want to avoid.”
Justice Thakur said the names of the players would not be revealed but said that given the Mudgal Committee had reported about Individual No. 2 being “in regular touch” with Gurunath, the counsel could argue using that regular association.
The judge also dismissed the appeal by the CAB lawyers protesting against Srinivasan attending the working committee meeting in his role as the TNCA president. He said, “you are trying to widen and open up the issue.”
( Source : dc correspondent )
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