Here's how BCCI can bring others like Sreesanth, Trivedi over to their side

I happened to run into a few cricketers I know just after the BCCI announced life bans for S Sreesanth and Ankeet Chavan and a one-year ban for Siddharth Trivedi and we struck up a conversation about the way the BCCI handled the entire process. It was mostly about whether the probe was right or wrong, whether the punishment was enough, how N Srinivasan’s probe was handled – basically about everything that was happening with the spot-fixing and match-fixing probe. Around 30 minutes into the conversation, one of them turned and mentioned that the one-year ban for Siddharth Trivedi will do two things – deter players from having any contact with bookies and ensure that all those who have ever had contact with bookies go underground. It was an interesting observation and a very obvious one too. Now, Trivedi has been banned for not just one year. That would be putting it too mildly. Rather, he has been tagged. It will ensure that he will never play for India, India A, any IPL team, any Ranji team… perhaps even a club team. [caption id=“attachment_1111145” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] BCCI needs to get cricketers to give out more information. Reuters[/caption] Many might say that Trivedi got what he deserved and perhaps they are right. But it is only a short-term measure… in no way does it solve the BCCI’s larger problem of fixing (spot-fixing, match-fixing), illegal betting and bookies. Trivedi had contact with the bookies and he even accepted a few gifts but never fixed a match. Now, not for a moment can anyone in the BCCI believe that Trivedi was one of the few cricketers around the country who was approached – surely, there are many more. So how do we get them to come out and tell the officials more about the bookies or fixing rackets? The BCCI’s biggest problem while dealing with fixers is that it does not know their identities. It could be anyone – former cricketers, relatives, seniors (as in the case of Harmeet Singh) or just random people you meet in the hotel lobby. So an information network is key and the BCCI, given its limited Anti-corruption capabilities is going to have a lot of trouble trying to build that network. However, there is a way out of this. The BCCI can borrow a page out of Income Tax department’s Voluntary Disclosure of Income Scheme. The fifth VDIS, launched in 1997, attracted 4,75,477 declarants and the total Income / Wealth of Rs. 33,695 Crore was disclosed. Rs. 9803.46 crore were collected as tax and interest, making it the most successful Voluntary Disclosure Scheme. Now, the very idea of tax amnesty schemes seem to be very wrong. It is basically a license to launder their black money and an admission of a government’s failure to ensure compliance with the laws of the land. But the one’s who are wronged the most are perhaps the people who have abided by the laws and dutifully paid their taxes. But while VDIS didn’t solve India’s black money problem, it did at least allow the process to be started. One rule worked wonders for the government. VDIS 1997 gave immunity from investigation to those who had violated other laws of the land, such as the Foreign Exchange Regulation Act, unless investigations were already being carried out regarding such violations. So people basically wanted to come out and come clean. Given the same opportunity many cricketers will want to do the same too and the BCCI needs to get them out and talking. Offer them amnesty, if that’s what it takes. It’s not like the BCCI knows about them in the first place. Even the smallest rumour can help. Make them talk. Build up the database and then make it count. Right now, a lot of players who would have come in contact with bookies are living in fear… for once, it’s time to put that fear to good use.