CHENNAI: The year-and-a-half-long Indian Premier League fixing and betting drama is headed for a much-awaited conclusion—with possible revelations that are likely to shock the cricket fraternity—when the Supreme Court takes cognisance of the Justice Mudgal Committee report on Monday. The panel--formed on October 13 comprising former High Court judge Mukul Mudgal, Additional Solicitor General L Nageswara Rao, senior counsel Niloy Dutta, IPS officer BB Mishra and former captain Sourav Ganguly—had submitted their final report on November 3.
After extensive and comprehensive inquests, the panel, entrusted only to investigate the involvement of cricketers, Indian cricket board officials and various franchise owners in the scam, had placed a sealed envelope containing 13 names, including BCCI supremo-in-exile N Srinivasan, against whom they found “unsubstantiated charges of corruption” in February this year.
However, if sources are to be believed, no substantial charges have been found against Srinivasan, who is likely to be reprieved with a “warning” for not taking adequate steps to address the issues. However, his son-in-law and Chennai Super Kings official Gurunath Meiyappan and Rajasthan Royals co-owner Raj Kundra are likely to be nailed.
It was the three-year-old tape that hinted at a “fix”, which didn’t materialise, that will probably seal Meiyappan’s fate, as the voice samples were authenticated by forensic experts. He was reportedly heard placing bets on CSK with a prominent player, who was neither part of CSK nor RR. He is no longer part of the national team either, but is still active in domestic cricket.
It is understood that they have also probed India skipper MS Dhoni’s alleged conflict of interest, pertaining to his stakes, if any, with Rhiti Sports Management Private Limited. Meanwhile, it is learnt that charges against the trio of S Sreesanth, Ankeet Chavan and Ajit Chandila have been validated.
Even if the final Mudgal report—believed to be similar to the February report—indicts certain individuals, the court will take a call on whether to wait for the police to complete its probe and file its chargesheet or issue some other orders on an emergency basis.
BCCI Confident
Chennai: The BCCI is expecting a clearance for president N Srinivsan on Monday. Indications are, the probe panel hasn’t found enough evidence against him. According to a top source, the board will appeal if the Supreme Court finds him guilty and stops him from taking part in the BCCI elections later this month.