R.K. Raghavan is elated at being recommended by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to the Supreme Court as part of the three-member panel that will probe into betting and spot-fixing allegations in IPL-6.
Speaking to The Hindu , the former CBI Director, said here on Monday, “I am delighted at the opportunity to do my bit for cricket, Supreme Court permitting. And I do not bow down to flimsy and frivolous charges made against me by some.”
He was reacting to a tweet by former IPL Commissioner Lalit Modi that said there was a conflict of interest in Raghavan’s case since he was the secretary of Kamyuth Club, which plays in the TNCA league here.
The 73-year-old former CBI boss said, “The club is owned by my brother-in-law. Since he lives in Bangalore and cannot oversee the affairs of the club, he asked me to manage it. Still, I am not actively involved with the club. I have not attended the general body meetings of the TNCA for quite some time. And I have scrupulously kept away from holding any post in the TNCA.”
DisclosureRaghavan revealed that when Justice Mudgal met him recently, he had informed him of his involvement with Kamyuth.
“That was the first statement I made to him, that my family was involved with a club that plays in the TNCA league. I did not want to suppress any information from him. My integrity has never been questioned.”
The septuagenarian has been associated with cricket at various levels. “I have played in the second division league here for the Royapettah Club. Then I have umpired in the first division league. I have been a radio and television commentator during the Ranji and Duleep Trophy matches.”
Crucially, he headed the CBI that probed the match-fixing scandal of 2000. “That report was hard-hitting. And the subsequent stringent action taken by the BCCI endorsed the CBI report,” Raghavan said.
He added, “I am a lover and a fan of the game. I do not want any publicity. I have seen enough photographs of myself in the media. It’s just that I am keen to give something back to the game that has provided me so much joy.”
Asked how he would look at the IPL probe, Raghavan replied, “Let me cross the bridge when it comes.”
