BCCI chief sticking to chair 'nauseating': SC

The Supreme Court landed a blow on BCCI president N Srinivasan’s hopes of becoming the chief of global cricket in June, as it took note of “very very serious” betting and spot-fixing charges spelled out in a report authored by a former judge after his investigation.

On Tuesday, the court said Srinivasan must step down to ensure that a fair probe is conducted into the preliminary findings of the Justice Mukul Mudgal report, which include charges against Srinivasan’s son-in-law Gurunath Meiyappan and some Indian Premier League (IPL) cricketers in 2013.

A bench of Justices A K Patnaik and F M I Kalifullah said, “In our opinion, Srinivasan has to step down if proper probe is to be done in the case. We don't like to damage people's reputation, but unless the BCCI president steps down, no fair investigation can be done. Why is he sticking to the chair? It is nauseating.”

The court, which was agitated after going through the contents of the Justice Mukul Mudgal panel report, also warned it could pass an order if Srinivasan continued to remain belligerent. “If you would not step down, we will pass the verdict,” said the bench.

Srinivasan is slated to become the chairman of the International Cricket Council (ICC) in June.

The bench asked BCCI counsel to go through certain paragraphs of the report near the podium, saying its contents cannot be revealed in open court. It asked senior advocate C A Sundaram, appearing for the BCCI, to take instructions from his client before the next hearing on March 27.

On February 10, the panel, headed by former Punjab and Haryana Chief Justice Mukul Mudgal, named six prominent “Indian capped” players whose names cropped up during its investigation of the IPL spot-fixing and betting.

The BCCI had earlier also urged the court to ensure that the names of current Indian cricket team, if any, given by the committee in a sealed envelop not be disclosed as it may harm their careers, besides damaging the game itself.

The apex court committee also comprises Additional Solicitor General N Nageshwar Rao and Assam Cricket Association member Nilay Dutta.

The report, said a journalist who was apparently connected with recording of tapes for a sports magazine, identifies the voice of a current India player who was part of the team which played the World Cup in 2011.