IPL scam: SC reserves order on Swamy's plea against ban on CSK

New Delhi: On Tuesday, the Supreme Court reserved its order on a plea filed by BJP leader Subramanian Swamy challenging the two-year ban imposed on IPL franchise Chennai Super Kings. A bench headed by Chief Justice T S Thakur said that it will pronounce an order in the matter. Swamy, in his plea, has alleged that there were no allegations against either N Srinivasan or against any members of the CSK and hence the ban imposed by the Justice R M Lodha panel was “illegal, arbitrary and unreasonable”. The Lodha panel had banned CSK and Rajasthan Royals after holding that its top officials like Raj Kundra and Gurunath Meiyappan were found involved in betting. [caption id=“attachment_3033630” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  A file photo of Subramanian Swamy. PTI[/caption] Swamy had moved the apex court on 26 August, seeking an urgent hearing on his application challenging the two-year ban imposed on the IPL franchise over the 2013 betting scam. The Madras High Court on 20 January had dismissed Swamy’s PIL challenging the suspension of CSK and Rajasthan Royals, saying it was not maintainable. Star-studded CSK, then led by M S Dhoni, and Rajasthan Royals were on 14 July, last year suspended for two years from the Indian Premier League in a clean-up exercise following the 2013 betting scam involving their top officials Meiyappan and Raj Kundra. Meiyappan, son-in-law of the then BCCI chief N Srinivasan and a former Team Principal of CSK, and Kundra, co-owner of Jaipur IPL that runs Rajasthan Royals (RR), were suspended for life from any match conducted by BCCI. The punishment was handed down by a three-member panel headed by former CJI R M Lodha which was asked by the Supreme Court to decide the quantum of punishment after finding them guilty of betting. The Madras High Cout had also dismissed a similar petition by the owner of CSK challenging Justice Lodha panel’s order.