BCCI Snoopgate: Has N Srinivasan Met his Waterloo?

It's open season in the BCCI; a season of allegations and counter allegations; not uncommon after a ruling faction is dethroned by the opposition.

So it wasn't a co-incidence that on the day that the ICC, led by former BCCI Chief N Srinivasan, accused current board secretary Anurag Thakur of being in close contact with an alleged bookie, a few members of the current BCCI set-up alleged that the previous regime under the leadership of Mr N Srinivasan spied on some of them, using the boards money no less. (BCCI to Take Legal Opinion on CSK)

Ahead of BCCI's all important working committee in Kolkata on Sunday, a current BCCI office bearer told NDTV, "14 crore rupees were paid from the coffers of the BCCI to a London based private firm to tap phones and hack e-mails of some BCCI members ahead of the Board's AGM in March this year. We would want to know from Mr Srinivasan what was the motive behind this and who authorised the use of board's funds for this purpose?"

NDTV later learnt that the issue could not be raised in the working committee meeting on Sunday as the debate regarding devaluation of Chennai Super Kings consumed most of the committee's time.

"Matters pertaining to CSK dominated the discussions on Sunday, but the snooping issue has everyone worried in the board. We are not going to rest till we get down to the bottom of it", is how a current president of a sate unit within the BCCI and someone who was also a part of the BCCI meeting on Sunday described the current situation to NDTV. (Tendulkar, Dravid, Ganguly to Hunt for Next India Coach)

"I know for a fact that some BCCI members are in shock after they found out that they were being spied upon. On Sunday there were a few pressing matters that the board had to discuss and hence the snooping issue could not be put on the table. But let me assure you, Jagmohan Dalmiya knows about it, Anurag Thakur knows about it, this is an ace up their sleeve against N Srinivasan and they will bring this issue up at the appropriate time." - Gautam Bhattacharya, Sports Editor, Ananda Bazaar Patrika told NDTV on the sideline of the working committee meeting in Kolkata. (Rohit Sharma Recommended for Arjuna Award)

A day after NDTV first broke the BCCI 'snoopgate' story, an embattled N Srinivasan spoke to Hindustan Times on the issue, "I cannot explain this unreasonable allegation that I am responsible for employing a detective agency to snoop. Since the time I have been out of the BCCI, I have had nothing to do with the day-to-day affairs of the board. If at all there is any such thing, then the office-bearers of the BCCI who were in control of the board and its decisions should be asked about that." (Gavaskar Seeks Rs 1.90 Crore for Services as IPL President)

A senior administaror who is working as a professional in the BCCI, confirms that a London based private firm was secretly hired by the BCCI "Yes, 14 crores were paid to a security agency in London, but I am not aware for what purpose. I was not privy to that information", he told NDTV.

Interestingly, Lalit Modi too had raised a similar alarm over a year ago when he claimed that Justice Mukul Mudgal, who was in London in Feb 2014 in connection with the IPL spot-fixing and betting case, a case that also involved N Srinivasan's son-in-law Gurunath Meiyappan, was being spied upon by individuals in the BCCI.

On Sunday, minutes after NDTV broke the BCCI snoopgate story, Lalit Modi tweeted that it was London-based security company Team Fusion which was hired to spy on Mukul Mudgal led panel and it could be the same agency that spied on the BCCI memebers too.

NDTV understands at the heart of this matter lies Mr Srinivasan's position as the Chairman of the International Cricket Council. While the current regime has made it clear that they want him replaced from the top spot by September, the Tamil Nadu strongman is keen to complete his two year term that only ends in 2016.

A conviction in a serious case like 'snoopgate' will surely put paid to Mr Srinivasan's plan; and his detractors within the BCCI know that all too well.

(With inputs from Rica Roy)