New Delhi, March 7 (IANS) The Supreme Court Friday adjourned hearing of the Indian Premier League (IPL) betting and spot-fixing case, saying it was yet to go through the response filed by the Indian cricket board to Justice (retd) Mukul Mudgal’s probe report.
The apex court bench headed by Justice A.K. Patnaik directed the hearing to be slated for March 25.
The apex court set up a three-member committee headed by Justice Mudgal to file a detail report into last year’s IPL scandal. Additional Solicitor General N. Nagehswar Rao and Assam Cricket Association (ACA) member Nilay Dutta, also a senior advocate, were the other members of the committee.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) in its response has told the court that it would proceed against Chennai Super Kings only after an inquiry as per its rule.
The board has cited the divergence in the views of Mudgal and Dutta on the conduct of Gurunath Meiyappan, who was the team principal of Chennai Super Kings, owned by India Cements.
Gurunath was arrested by Mumbai police last year for betting in IPL. He is the son-in-law of BCCI president Narayanswami Srinivasan, who also heads India Cements.
Mudgal in his report to the Supreme Court has indicted Meiyappan in the IPL betting scandal. He also blamed India Cements for failing to comply with the BCCI Anti-Corruption Code for Participants.
Mudgal said Meiyappan was “the face and team official” Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and “the allegations of betting and passing information” against him “stand proved”.
In a 171-page document submitted to the Supreme Court, Mudgal said the allegations of betting and fixing against Meiyappan as well as Rajasthan Royals co-owner Raj Kundra need to be further investigated.
The BCCI has appealed to the Supreme Court not to make public the cricketers named in the report. Mudgal in a sealed report to the court has submitted the names of six prominent cricketers, who could be involved in the sports fraud.