Madras High Court dismisses plea against CSK suspension

Chennai, Jan 20 (Cricketnmore): The Madras High Court on Wednesday dismissed a plea challenging the two-year suspension of Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket outfit Chennai Super Kings (CSK).

The first bench comprising Chief Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Justice T.S. Sivagnanam dismissed the petition filed by the team's new owner CSK Cricket Limited on the ground that it was not maintainable within the limitations prescribed by the Supreme Court.

The bench also dismissed the Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Subramanian Swamy on the same grounds. Swamy, however, asserted after the hearing that he now intends to approach the Supreme Court against the verdict.

The CSK owners in their petition alleged that the actual offender behind the betting and spot fixing scandal in the sixth season of the IPL in 2013 has walked scott free and only the cricketers contracted with the franchise have been affected by the ban.

CSK manager K. George John sought the curt to quash the Lodha Committee report and asked the court to direct the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to allow the franchise to participate in the IPL.

The IPL scandal had led to the resignation of N. Srinivasan as BCCI president. Srinivasan's company India Cements was the owner of CSK while his son-in-law Gurunath Meiyappan was among the main suspects.

Swamy, who pointed out that said no CSK player had been named as suspect in the case, alleged that the PIL proceedings against Srinivasan was funded by former IPL commissioner Lalit Modi.

Agency