SC to hear Cricket Association of Bihar's plea on Friday

New Delhi, Aug 6. The Supreme Court will on Friday hear Cricket Association of Bihar's (CAB) plea seeking handing over of Justice Mukul Mudgal committee's investigative report into allegations of betting in the 2013 Indian Premier League (IPL) to the Justice Lodha committee.

The Lodha committee is now examining reforms in the working of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to make its functioning transparent. The Cricket Association of Bihar (CAB) is not recognised by the apex cricketing body BCCI.

Directing the hearing of the CAB application on Friday at 2.00 p.m., the apex court bench of Justice T.S.Thakur, Justice V. Gopala Gowda and Justice R. Banumathi asked why was CAB asking for the report to be handed over. "Let Justice Lodha committee ask for it," the court said. Urging the court to make available the Mudgal committee report -- including the one in a sealed cover that has the names of 13 players allegedly involved in acts of misdemeanour -- to Justice Lodha committee, CAB said this would help the Lodha committee in appreciating the extent of malaise that has crept into BCCI.

CAB said a better appreciation of malfunctioning of the apex cricketing body would help the Lodha committee in suggesting administrative reforms required to revive the image of cricket, and keeping BCCI away from another scam.

In a clean-up exercise, the Lodha committee, also comprising Justices R.V. Ravindran and Justice Ashok Bhan, had on July 14 suspended IPL franchises Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals for two years.

The committee had also slapped a lifelong ban on former CSK official Gurunath Meiyappan and Royals co-owner Raj Kundra from the affairs of cricket in the country for their role in betting.

The Lodha committee was set up on January 22 by the apex court bench of Justice T.S. Thakur and Justice Fakkir Mohamed Ibrahim Kalifulla to decide the quantum of punishment that had to be awarded to former BCCI president N. Srinivasan's son-in-law Meiyappan and Kundra for their involvement in betting during 2013 IPL.

The court had also asked Justice Lodha committee to look into the activities of BCCI official Sunder Raman in the matter. This issue is still pending as his role is still being investigated.

The court also asked the Lodha committee to examine and consider amendments to BCCI's memorandum of association and the prevalent rules and regulations for "streamlining the conduct of elections to different posts/officers in the BCCI including conditions of eligibility and disqualifications, if any, for candidates wanting to contest the election for such posts including the office of the president of the BCCI".

(IANS)