The Supreme Court has rejected the three-member Board of Control for Cricket in India panel that was proposed to investigate the Indian Premier League 2013 scam. The cricket fraternity was divided over the selection of former Test all-rounder Ravi Shastri, ex-Chief Justice of the Calcutta High Court Jai Narain Patel and former CBI boss RK Raghavan by the BCCI. The court had last week directed the Board to suggest a committee that could investigate the 2013 Indian Premier League spot-fixing and betting scandal. Thirteen names, including that of suspended BCCI president N. Srinivasan, figure in an inquiry committee report submitted to the apex court.
The Supreme Court has now asked Justice Mukul Mudgal whether he will be able to probe the scam with the help of investigators. In February this year, the Mudgal committee had submitted a report to the court after a four-month probe. Mudgal has to reply by 2 PM today.
BCCI's panel is facing conflict of interest questions. While Shastri is on the pay-rolls of the BCCI, Patel is related to BCCI's vice-president and current interim head, Shivlal Yadav. Raghavan is secretary of a club affiliated to under Tamil Nadu Cricket Association. Srinivasan is the president of TNCA.
On a court directive and under pressure from a section of the Board, the BCCI held an emergency working committee meeting in Mumbai on Sunday afternoon to pick a panel. The Board members took almost three hours to decide three names. The Board proceedings were quite acrimonious, according to sources.
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