NEW DELHI - The Mudgal committee investigating spot-fixing allegations in the Indian Premier League cricket tournament submitted its final report to the Supreme Court on Monday, lawyers said.
The top court will deliberate on the findings on November 10 that could determine if world cricket chief Narayanaswami Srinivasan can seek re-election as president of the Indian board. “We have submitted the report in a sealed envelope to the court,” Raju Ramachandran, lawyer f r the panel, told AFP, without elaborating. The panel, headed by former judge Mukul Mudgal and including ex-India captain Sourav Ganguly, in February presented a sealed envelope to the court containing names of 13 individuals who needed to be investigated further. “We have submitted our report... I am absolutely sure that the honourable Supreme Court will do full justice to all parties,” Mudgal said while refusing to reveal details of the panel report.
The court disclosed that Srinivasan was one of the names on the list and ordered the panel to investigate him and the 12 other unidentified people.
The panel’s preliminary report had concluded that Srinivasan’s son-in-law Gurunath Meiyappan — who was the team principal of the Chennai Super Kings franchise — might be guilty of illegal betting on IPL games. The Super Kings are owned by India Cements, whose managing director is Srinivasan. The team are captained by India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni.
The court barred Srinivasan from carrying out his duties as president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) until it delivered its final verdict, but did not stop him from heading the International Cricket Council. The sixth IPL season last year was mired in controversy after police launched legal proceedings against several IPL officials and cricketers, including former Test fast bowler Shanthakumaran Sreesanth, for illegal betting and spot-fixing.
The IPL, which began in 2008, features the world’s top players signed up for huge fees by companies and high-profile individuals in a glitzy mix of sport and entertainment. International news organisations including Agence France-Presse have suspended on-field coverage of matches hosted by the BCCI since 2012 after the board imposed restrictions on picture agencies.