IPL Scam Hearing: Maintain Purity of Cricket, Supreme Court Tells BCCI

The Supreme Court on Monday continued to maintain a strong stand against suspended Board of Control for Cricket in India president N. Srinivasan and told him that people at the top of the Board's hierarchy should be taint-free. In the previous hearing - on December 1, the apex court put the onus on Srinivasan and his cousel Kapil Sibal, saying they needed to "lift the veil" on the issue of conflict of interest. (Top 10 developments in IPL spot-fixing and betting case)

Srinivasan is the managing director of India Cements, which owns the Super Kings. The apex court raised questions on Srinivasan for owning an Indian Premier League team even when he was BCCI boss. Further, Gurunath Meiyappan, Srinivasan's son-in-law and a former high-ranking official of CSK, was indicted of betting on his own team in 2013. The Court had asked Srinivasan for a response regarding Meiyappan.

On Monday, the Supreme Court observed that it was difficult to accept that there was no conflict of interest. The Court further told the BCCI: "Purity of cricket has to be maintained and all persons at the helm of its affairs should be above suspicion."

Explaining the conflict of interest further, the Supreme Court observed: "BCCI are the contractor and head of the contracting party also"

"Taking all circumstances in account, it is very difficult to accept your contention that there is no conflict of interest. You being MD of India Cements, India Cements owning CSK, an official of CSK involved in betting and you heading the BCCI," the bench, also comprising Justice FMI Kalifulla, told Srinivasan's lawyer Kapil Sibal.

The Court, however, asked who should be allowed to fight for BCCI elections.

"BCCI must be free from any blemish if we allow it to decide," it said, adding, "Who should be allowed to contest?. Can a person indicted by the Committee be allowed to contest the elections?".

The bench said that the cricket administrator "should be above board and above all the allegations" in order to decide the action to be taken on the basis of findings of the report.

"We are not saying that there is a fraud in getting franchise but once you become a team owner then your interest in team and as a cricket administrator pull you in opposite directions," the bench told Srinivasan"

"The ownership of a team raises conflict of interest. President of BCCI has to run the show but you have a team which raises questions and it can't be wished away," the court had previously observed on December 1. (Srinivasan to Supreme Court: Gavaskar, Ganguly, Shastri Also Had Dual Roles in BCCI, IPL)

Sibal argued that at no point of time was Srinivasan given an opportunity either before the Mudgal Committee or the High Court to address the issue of conflict of interest.

Sibal also accused Srinivasan's "rivals" of making these accusations to keep him away from the BCCI, referring to secretary of Cricket Association of Bihar Aditya Verma, who filed a petition against Srinivasan in the Bombay High Court. (Srinivasan Says All Allegations Against Him Are False)

"They only want to remove him. They are not espousing the cause of cricket. They are espousing something else," he said.

The hearing shall resume on Tuesday.