In a set back to beleaguered N Srinivasan, the Supreme Court today directed a probe against him and 12 prominent players in IPL betting and spot-fixing scandal.
The apex court turned down BCCI’S proposal to get the probe done by its panel and gave the task of investigation to Justice Mukul Mudgal Committee which had earlier also conducted the probe in the scandal and had submitted in a sealed envelop its report in which names of Mr. Srinivasan and 12 cricketers were mentioned.
A bench headed by Justice A K Patnaik asked the Mudgal Committee, also comprising Additional Solicitor General L Nageshwar Rao and advocate Niloy Dutta, to complete the probe and file its report in a sealed envelop by the end of August.
It said that a group of investigators headed by senior IPS officer B B Mishra will assist the Mudgal Committee in the probe. The panel would have the power to probe, search and seize relevant documents and record evidence, it said.
The court, however, said that the panel, which would also be assisted by Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai police, would not have the power to arrest any person.
It also said that Sunil Gavaskar and Shivlal Yadav, who were appointed as interim presidents of BCCI after Mr. Srinivasan stepped aside from the post, will continue to do their job till further orders.
The apex court said that further probe by the Mudgal Committee itself is needed to maintain confidentiality of the allegations levelled against Mr. Srinivasan and others.
It said that the allegations would be known to other people if a fresh panel comprising new members is allowed to conduct the probe.
The court had on April 29 reserved its order on constituting a probe panel to investigate allegations against Mr. Srinivasan and 12 cricketers after BCCI and Mr. Srinivasan opposed further investigation by Mudgal Committee and pleaded for setting up a fresh panel.
It had said it cannot come to any finding regarding the allegations levelled by the Mudgal Committee report against Mr. Srinivasan and 12 others until a duly constituted probe committee looks into the allegations.
Earlier, the apex court had asked the Committee whether it will be willing to conduct further probe against Mr. Srinivasan and 12 others in the scandal.
BCCI had also informed the court that it had decided to constitute a three-member panel comprising former Calcutta High Court Chief Justice J N Patel, ex-CBI director R K Raghavan and former all-rounder Ravi Shastri.
