N. Srinivasan Says Image of Indian Cricket Not Tarnished
N. Srinivasan has maintained that Indian cricket's image has not been tarnished. He also told Supreme Court - through his lawyers - that he had acted swiftly against those guilty of betting in IPL and therefore, allegations of remaining silent were incorrect.
N. Srinivasan, former chief of the Board of Control for Cricket in India, has said that the image of Indian cricket has not been dented by allegations of spot-fixing in the Indian Premier League (IPL). In the Supreme Court, he has denied allegations against him of a cover-up.
Speaking at a press conference at an ICC event on Monday, Srinivasan said, "I don't think the image of Indian cricket has been hit." He had been asked if the IPL spot-fixing scandal has had an adverse effect on the sport in the country.
The suspended BCCI chief - through his lawyer Kapil Sibal - also told the Supreme Court on Monday that, "all allegations against me are false. I acted with speed when I got to know about allegations against my son -in-law. The BCCI had launched a complaint against (Gurunath) Meiyappan and Raj Kundra."
The Mudgal committee that has investigated the IPL scandal has in its report submitted to Supreme Court said that as BCCI chief, Srinivasan had not acted against guilty players and officials who were indulging in spot-fixing. It indicted his son-in-law and Chennai Super Kings official Meiyappan for betting. (Also read: Petitioner wants probe report to be made public)
Srinivasan on Monday though denied any cover-up. "All allegations of cover up are false because BCCI registered a complaint against calling Gurunath a team official," said the Tamil Nadu cricket strongman. (Read in full: All allegations against me are false, Srinivasan tells Supreme Court)
Currently heading ICC and seeking a new term as BCCI chief, Srinivasan's desire to contest in BCCI polls was previously questioned by the Supreme Court. The court had asked Srinivasan how he could seek to be BCCI chief while his son-in-law was a Chennai Super Kings official and was indicted for betting during IPL 2013.
The next hearing in the case is scheduled for December 8 and Srinivasan's lawyer is expected to make further arguments on the conflict of interest issue.
(With inputs from A. Vaidyanathan in New Delhi and J. Sam Daniel in Chennai)