Live: Now, Sports Ministry takes on the BCCI

4.02 pm: Sports Ministry takes on the BCCI

The Sports Ministry has also weighed in on the decision of the probe panel to give a clean chit to Gurunath Meiyappan, Raj Kundra, India Cements, Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals.

The Sports Ministry said: As per the admission of probe panel itself, they haven’t got any evidence from Del & Mum police. I think we should wait for the police to finish their investigations before giving a clean chit to anyone.

3.55 pm: Can’t wait for police probe: Niranjan Shah

“BCCI can’t wait for the police probe to finish but if the police investigation finds them guilty, we will also go by that,” said Niranjan Shah.

The BCCI vice president also said panel’s verdict can be appealed by the members. But one wonders if anyone will anyone come forward?

2.48 pm: BCCI Treasurer Sawant says Srinivasan must return

BCCI Treasurer Ravi Sawant has said that he is satisfied with the findings of the probe panel and that Srinivasan must take over as president.

“No point waiting for the police to finish their investigations, we must act on the report,” says Sawant. “And now that the prove is complete, Srinivasan must return as president. It is only fair.”

2.04 pm: Mumbai cops say BCCI is rushing the matter

According to Times Now, Mumbai Police is surprised that a procedural hitch has turned into a green signal.

The television channel is in possession of letters from the BCCI to the police and the police’s reply to the BCCI letter, which show that the BCCI didn’t bother to follow up at all. They weren’t interested in completing the probe. They were only interested in finishing it.

The BCCI basically said that the Mumbai Police had not co-operated with the probe.

The BCCI wrote to the Mumbai police on 28 June – asking for them to send an officer to depose before the committee. The Mumbai Police wrote back on the 6 July – asking them to quote relevant legal procedures.

1.04 pm: Mumbai police unhappy with BCCI clean chit: reports

The Mumbai police are reportedly unhappy with the clean chit that has been handed to Chennai Super Kings’ Gurunath Meiyappan. Times Now quoted sources within the Mumbai police as telling them that Meiyappan was still under investigation for ‘betting and fixing’ links.

Earlier reports stated that the Mumbai police had refused to provide evidence to the investigating panel. Given that an investigating officer can only depose before a court, the police had reportedly asked the BCCI to stipulate the provisions allowing an investigating officer to depose before a private investigating body. The police had reportedly got no reply.

11.20 am: Kirti Azad has nothing against Dalmiya, Srinivasan

“I have nothing against Mr Jagmohan Dalmiya or Srinivasan. The Mumbai police says that the investigations are on. I feel that the way these politicians are running the show, it shows that they are above the government, nobody can do anything to them and they have their own laws and set of rules,” former India cricketer Kirti Azad told reporters.

Azad has always been critical of the way the BCCI has run.

9.35 am: Srinivasan can chair meeting, says Niranjan Shah

BCCI vice-president Niranjan Shah has said that N Srinivasan could return as BCCI chief and chair the IPL Governing Council meeting on 2 August as the probe panel has found no evidence against his team Chennai Super Kings in the IPL spot-fixing and betting scandal.

“He himself has stepped down and now as the probe is already finished, given to the working committee already, Srinivasan can come any time he wants to. He can chair the meeting,” Shah said when asked if Srinivasan can chair the GC meeting in the capital.

He then added: “If there is any substantial thing coming out later on in court of law or in police investigation then I think the things will still stand, means, if they are charge-sheeted then, and if it is proven in the court of law, I think automatically then they are out of BCCI.”

Click here for a detailed report.

9.27 am: Delhi police to file chargesheet in spot-fixing case today

The Delhi Police is likely to file a chargesheet on Monday in the Indian Premier League (IPL) spot fixing case naming underworld don Dawood Ibrahim, three Rajasthan Royals players and several others.

“Chargesheet in the IPL spot-fixing case will be in all likelihood filed tomorrow,” sources in the Delhi Police said on Sunday.

The Special cell of Delhi police will be naming underworld don Dawood Ibrahim, they said.

Rajasthan Royals players S Sreesanth, Ankeet Chavan and Ajit Chandila along with more than 30 people are likely to be made accused, they said.

Those likely to be named in the chargesheet includes bookies Ramesh Vyas and Tinku Mandi, ex Ranji player Babu Rao, Sreesanth’s close aide Jiju Janardhan and Mohammed Yahya, who was picked up when he was fleeing to Dubai.

The chargesheet will be filed under stringent sections of MCOCA and IPC.

Delhi Police Commissioner Neeraj Kumar had earlier expressed his desire that chargesheet in this high profile case be submitted before he retires on July 31.

8.30 am: Srinivasan shouldn’t see BCCI clean chit as a license to return

The timing could not have been more convenient.

A two member probe panel, formed to look into allegations that Chennai Super Kings team principal Gurunath Meiyappan was involved in betting has reportedly given him a clean chit just ahead of board elections set to be held in September.

This effectively paves the way for Srinivasan to come back as BCCI President before the all important poll. But here are some questions he needs to answer before he does that.

How credible was the probe investigation?

Leaving aside the fantastic speed with which the probe commission conducted its findings, came to its conclusions and submitted its report, there are several glaring holes in the process which are now coming to light.

CNN-IBN reported that the Mumbai police, which is investigating the case and had held Meiyappan in custody on betting allegations, had refused to depose before the committee. Given that an investigating officer can only depose before a court, the police had reportedly asked the BCCI to stipulate the provisions allowing an investigating officer to depose before a private investigating body. The police had reportedly got no reply.

Secondly, in the absence of information, CNN-IBN says that the probe report was only based on information it received via the BCCI itself. If this is true, it is quite incredible because parts of the same board are under investigation themselves.

So if the purpose of the probe panel was to restore some credibility to the BCCI and convince the country that it did not function within a law unto itself, it has failed to do that. And if Srinivasan resumes his Presidency under the aegis of that report, it will convince nobody.

Can a probe by an in house BCCI inquiry be seen as a clean chit? 

The next question of course is what this BCCI ‘clean chit’ means. Even if the probe panel finds Meiyappan and Kundra not guilty of betting and match/spot-fixing, will this shield them from punishment in a court of law?

The answer is no.

The police are yet to frame charges against Meiyappan or Raj Kundra. But if there is indeed any evidence of betting with regard to either of them, both their teams are in danger of being terminated from the tournament, according to article 11.3.c (ii) in the IPL rule book.

According to CNN-IBN sources, Gurunath has been listed as a mere share-holder of Chennai Super Kings for the purposes of the probe. But there was clear evidence that he was/is the owner and if the police treat it that way, the franchise will still be in danger of termination.

Despite reports that the findings of the probe panel are ‘binding’ on the BCCI and not ‘recommendational’, the fact is, the police investigation must and will have more credibility than an internal probe. Therefore it would be much more prudent for Srinivasan to wait at least until charges are framed before he assumes the mantle of injured innocence and resumes his position at the helm of the board.

Chances are of course, that he will do no such thing.

As Firstpost editor Ashish Magotra said in this piece , “The probe panel was supposed to help the BCCI restore credibility but as things stand, it has only made things worse. Srinivasan wanted to be back in the driver’s seat before the AGM in September and this report will allow him to do exactly that.”