Justice T Jayaram Chouta, a member of the panel constituted by the BCCI to investigate alleged spot and match-fixing in the IPL, when contacted, echoed his fellow panel member Justice Balasubramanian, that little was known about how the panel was to proceed.
Justice Chouta said he was yet to be told what the terms of reference of the panel would be. “They sought my consent and I gave it. There is no official communication after this. We can take up the probe only after getting an official communication and terms of reference for the investigation,” Justice Chouta, who stays in Mangalore, told Express over phone. “It is difficult to say how long the probe will last,” he said. However, he added that he was initially hesitant to accept the assignment, as he had several pending personal matters to attend to, “but they said it needs just two months, so I agreed”.
Saying he was surprised to get a call from the BCCI, Justice Chouta said he does not know BCCI chief N Srinivasan. “I have never heard any cases related to him, India Cements, BCCI or the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association,” he said.
Questions have been raised over the validity of the panel and whether the internal investigation would hold good and pass through legal scrutiny. Justice Chouta seeks to quell them. “As far as I am concerned, nobody can influence me. Even if he (Srinivasan) comes to me, I don’t think so. I will work independently and act according to the Constitution,” he said. He added that the commission would not ask the beleaguered Srinivasan to step down from his post. “We will not ask Srinivasan to step down. If he wants, he can step down, but it is not in our purview to ask him to quit,” he said.
Justice Balasubramanian also insisted that the inquiry would be “free and fair”.
“If you believe me to be a free and fair person, I should be fair,” he said, when asked whether the inquiry will be impartial. In reply to questions, he said he had never handled any case of India Cements either as a lawyer or as a judge of the Madras High Court.
However, there continues to be skepticism about an effective probe by the panel. Justice K Chandru, a retired judge of the Madras High Court, said, “It is an eyewash. It (the panel) should have credibility. It is an in-house inquiry and it will have no legal value. It will stand the legal test if the same is constituted by the government or following court orders. Or, BCCI president N Srinivasan should step down, paving the way for a fair inquiry. Without these things, it will only be an eyewash,” Justice Chandru said.
