JOIN USThe Supreme Court on Monday decided to look into the controversial amendment to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) rules which enabled office bearers to own teams in the IPL and Champions League, amidst a raging debate over conflict of interest issue.
A bench of Justices T S Thakur and F M I Kalifullah termed the issue of conflict of interest as “relevant” and decided to scrutinise the controversial amendment amidst the blame game by top cricket administrators, N Srinivasan and I S Bindra, over its introduction in the BCCI rules.
Resuming its hearing on the Mudgal panel report on spot fixing and betting in IPL 2013, the bench decided to examine the BCCI’s 2008 Amendment 6.2.4 that excluded IPL and Champions League from the purview of conflict of interest and enabled its office-bearers to own and promote teams for the two events.
“This is the heart of the problem... because this greed has come into the game”, said Bindra. “Conflict of interest is involved since 2008 which has created the mess,” said his counsel Rajiv Dhavan, adding: “The game of cricket is going to dogs”.
However, Srinivasan's counsel Kapil Sibal said, “It was Bindra who had confirmed the minutes of the meeting on the amendment and today, five years later, he is raising it here”.
When Sibal said the issue, vis-a-vis the amendment, was not under challenge, the bench said the Cricket Association of Bihar, through Secretary, Aditya Verma, has challenged the relaxation in the BCCI rules.