The Board Of Control For Cricket In India (BCCI)
Nov 18 2014 : The Times of India (Delhi) Srini knew of code breach, IPL COO of betting, both kept mum: Mudgal
New Delhi: TIMES NEWS NETWORK
`Kundra Took Player To Bookie; CSK Official Meiyappan Guilty Of Betting'
BCCI Battle Hinges On SC's Nov 24 Order
The Supreme Court-appointed Justice Mudgal panel has said ICC chief N Srinivasan was not involved in betting or match fixing in the Indian Premier League and did not attempt to scuttle investigations into match fixing. However, it also said that Srinivasan and four other BCCI officials were aware of violations of the players' code of conduct by an unnamed person identified as `Individual 3', but did nothing about it.
The panel has also reiterated that Srinivasan's sonin-law, Gurunath Meiyappan, was involved in betting and was indeed a “team official“ of Chennai Super Kings. Srinivasan, it may be recalled, had said that Meiyappan was only a “cricket enthusiast“ and had no role in the CSK management.
The strongest statements in the panel's report have been reserved for Rajasthan Royals' co-owner Raj Kundra. The report states that Kundra “was in touch with bookies about betting, and by not reporting this has violated the BCCIIPL anti-cor ruption code“. It adds that one of Kundra's friends was a known punter and has given a statement that he placed bets on behalf of Kundra.This punter has also claimed that Kundra introduced him to another bookie who dealt with larger stakes. Further, the report quotes a player as having said that Kundra introduced him to a bookie. IPL chief operating officer Sundar Raman was held guilty of being aware of Meiyappan and Kundra's betting activity but taking no action on it or even informing anybody ostensibly because the chief of the ICC's anticorruption squad told him that the information he had was “not actionable“.
The findings about Srinivasan could provide ammunition to both his supporters and detractors in the jostling for power within the BCCI. While the supporters would be keen to pounce on the “clean chit“ given on his involvement in betting or fixing, the detractors may point out that he has been held guilty of not acting against a corrupt player and his claim about Meiyappan not being a CSK team official has been proved wrong.
Regarding Kundra, the Mudgal report adds that investigation against Kundra was “abruptly and without reason stopped by Rajasthan Police upon receiving the case papers from Delhi Police.“ If the charges against Kundra are upheld by the Supreme Court, Rajasthan Royals could face severe action, including a possible ban, under IPL rules.
Responding to the report, Kundra told journalists, “Let's wait till the 24th (November, when the Supreme Court is scheduled to de clare its verdict in the case), everything will be clear. You will be happy , don't worry. It's sub judice. Let's wait. Let the court take their calculated decisions after I put forward my facts.“
About Meiyappan, the report states, “Investigations have confirmed that he was a team official of a franchisee. He was frequently meeting `Individual 2' (an identity that the report doesn't disclose) in his hotel room.“ It adds, “...the finding about his betting activities and the finding that he was a team official stand confirmed.“ However, it gives Meiyappan a clean chit with regard to match fixing, saying there is no material available on record to show that he was involved in manipulating matches.
As directed by the apex court, the portions of the report made public on Monday do not contain the names of any players. The reference to Srinivasan along with four other BCCI officials being “aware of the violation of the Players Code of Conduct by Individual 3“ but not acting on it makes it seem likely that `Individual 3' is a player, though what his violation was is not spelt out.
The code of conduct is a sprawling set of rules that cover everything from breach of clothing regulations to match fixing and any activity that brings the game into disrepute
