Mudgal panel to lead independent IPL inquiry

Top Indian court orders fresh investigation into spot-fixing charges

NEW DELHI: India’s Supreme Court on Friday ordered a new investigation into the spot-fixing allegations in the Indian Premier League (IPL), giving the probe panel additional powers and police assistance.

The top court set up a group of investigators to assist its own three-member panel appointed last year to probe wrongdoing in the popular Twenty20 competition.

The panel, led by former judge Mukul Mudgal, has been asked to complete the investigations and submit its report to the court by the end of August, the Press Trust of India reported.

The panel “will have all the powers to probe, search and seize relevant documents and record evidence, except the power to arrest,” the news agency quoted the order from the judge as saying.

The Mudgal panel, which produced a damning preliminary report in February, had previously handed the court a sealed envelope that contained the names of 13 individuals who it felt needed further investigation.

The court revealed last month that Indian cricket boss N Srinivasan was on the list, but declined to name the others pending a full probe, which the panel will now conduct.

The preliminary report concluded that Srinivasan's son-in-law Gurunath Meiyappan – who was the team principal of the Chennai Super Kings – could be guilty of illegal betting on IPL games.