Court restrains BCCI chief from taking charge

NEW DELHI: Narainswamy Srinivasan was allowed by India's Supreme Court to seek an extension to his tenure as president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India but was restrained from assuming charge on Friday until the matter is in court.
The court was hearing a petition from the regional Cricket Association of Bihar, which wanted Srinivasan barred from seeking re-election on Sunday on the grounds that he was trying to protect his son-in-law Gurunath Meiyappan from charges of spot-fixing in this year's Indian Premier League.
Meiyappan, the team principal of Chennai Super Kings, who are owned by India Cements company of which Srinivasan is the managing director, has been charged by Indian police on several counts including cheating and being in touch with illegal bookmakers.
Meiyappan was jailed for two weeks before getting bail, but the BCCI cleared him after a probe by an internal panel.
The Bombay High Court declared the panel "illegal and unconstitutional" but did not direct the board to re-constitute it.
The Supreme Court will hear the issue again on Monday to decide whether the BCCI's two-member panel, comprising of former judges Jayaram Chouta and R. Balasubramanian, was formed with the intention of helping Meiyappan.
Srinivasan, who is looking for a third year in office which is allowed under BCCI rules, stepped aside to let former ICC president Jagmohan Dalmiya take over following concerns of conflict of interest pending the inquiry into Meiyappan's involvement.
However, he presided over some recent meetings, including one this week when former IPL commissioner Lalit Modi was banned for life for "misconduct and indiscipline" in running the IPL, which hit a low this year due to the spot-fixing scandal.
The spot-fixing controversy arose after the arrest of Rajasthan Royals players Shantakumaran Sreesanth, Ajit Chandila and Ankeet Chavan by Delhi Police, who said they conceded more than a specified number of runs per over in return for money from illegal bookies.
All three players are out on bail but have been banned for life by the BCCI.