BCCI chief told to step down

Supreme Court in India issues order to N Srinivasan while Sunil Gavaskar is handed the task of looking after the IPL.

Sunil Gavaskar was installed as interim head of the Indian Premier League (IPL) on Friday after India’s top court temporarily relieved N Srinivasan of his duties as the country’s cricket board president.

IPL fixing timeline

2013

May 16 – Three RR players arrested for fraud, cheating

May 20 – RR suspends contracts of trio

May 24 – Gurunath Meiyappan arrested in Mumbai

Jun 1- Rajiv Shukla resigns as IPL chairman

Sep 13 – Sreesanth, Chavan banned for life for IPL fixing

2014

Feb 10 – Charges against Gurunath proved – IPL probe report

Mar 25 – Supreme Court recommends that Srinivasan step down

Mar 28 – Gavaskar to head BCCI during IPL

Srinivasan’s position was deemed untenable in the wake of his son-in-law Gurunath Meiyappan being indicted for illegal betting on last year’s lucrative Twenty20 tournament with the court calling on the powerful cricket administrator to step aside to ensure a fair investigation into the scandal.

Former India cricketer and board vice president Shivlal Yadav would oversee all other non-IPL affairs at the BCCI until any further order, the Supreme Court added.

The court also decided to allow the seventh edition of the IPL to continue with all eight teams, including Chennai Super kings and Rajasthan Royals who were threatened with suspension.

“The BCCI president is like a guiding force as far as the IPL is concerned,” Sanjay Patel, the board secretary, told ESPNCricinfo. “The IPL has been run by its Governing Council in collaboration with the chairman and the CEO. That will continue, the management structure will remain the same.”

The UAE will host the first leg of the Twenty20 league from April 16-30 as this year’s tournament clashes with parliamentary elections in the world’s biggest democracy. 

Srinivasan, set to take over as chairman of the International Cricket Council (ICC) board in July, is the head of India Cements.

“We are very glad that the order that has been passed today is in keeping with the proposal which the BCCI itself had given to the top court,” C Aryama Sundaram, the
lawyer representing the BCCI, said. “The BCCI will not oppose Gavaskar’s interim appointment.”

Justice AK Patnaik said the Supreme Court was not expressing any opinion on the merits of the allegations against Srinivasan until it completes its case on the IPL spot-fixing and betting scandal.

The Supreme Court has set April 16 as the next date for hearing in the case.

Source: News Agencies