BCCI President Narainswamy Srinivasan is under fire to quit after his son-in-law was indicted in a fixing scam. PHOTO: AFP
After an extensive investigation, a Supreme Court panel said son-in-law Gurunath Meiyappan was guilty of illegal betting in the Indian Premier League (IPL) and allegations of match-fixing against him should be further probed.
The three-member panel's findings released on Monday were a blow to Srinivasan, coming just days after he was elected the first chairman of the International Cricket Council (ICC) in a controversial shakeup of the world body.
A C Muthiah, a former head of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), said Srinivasan's role in the sport's administration was untenable following the findings.
"It has definitely weakened Srinivasan's position," Muthiah told the Times of India on Tuesday. "He has to rescue himself according to corporate principles because it is a clear case of conflict of interest.
"Corporate governance is a very important factor. You can't have tainted people run international cricket.”
‘I can’t see Srinivasan stepping down’
Srinivasan, who successfully weathered last year's betting and fixing IPL scandals, was expected to brush aside the calls to quit the BCCI, with supporters saying he has not been accused of wrongdoing.
"I can't see Srinivasan stepping down just because of the report since he himself has not been found guilty of anything," a senior BCCI member said. "Besides, he is in total control of the board. Who is going to go against him?"
Another official added: "This is just a report. Everyone needs to take a step back and wait till the Supreme Court rules on the matter."
The Supreme Court appointed the panel on October 8 to investigate the scandal that last year rocked the popular Twenty20 tournament run by the BCCI.
The probe was separate from investigations by police, who have filed charges in court against Meiyappan, a string of officials, players and bookmakers for illegal betting during the tournament.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 12th, 2014.
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First quit and then get reinstated, you must be used to it now.