NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Friday set aside the life ban imposed on former Indian cricketer S Sreesanth by the Board of Control of Cricket in India for his alleged involvement in the 2013 IPL spot-fixing scandal.
A Bench comprising justices Ashok Bhushan and KM Joseph said the disciplinary committee of the BCCI may reconsider within three months the quantum of punishment to be given to Sreesanth.
The bench made it clear that Sreesanth will get the opportunity of being heard by the committee on the quantum of the punishment.
Significantly, the Court did not delve into the findings of guilt made by the BCCI’s disciplinary committee against the Kerala based cricketer.
The apex court’s thinking on that issue was provided by the clarification that its verdict shall have no effect on the criminal proceedings pending against the former cricketer in the Delhi High Court. The Delhi police has challenged a trial court’s order discharging all accused, including Sreesanth, in the IPL spot-fixing case, so the Sureme Court clearly did not want to introduce any instructions that might impede on the High Court’s deliberations in the case.
The Bench passed this order on Sreesanth’s plea challenging the decision of a division bench of the Kerala High Court which had restored the life ban imposed on him by the BCCI.
Previously, the Andhra Pradesh High Court had declared the life ban imposed on Mohammad Azharuddin as illegal. The BCCI had banned Azhar in the wake of the Cronje-gate at the turn of the century. Sreesanth was handed the punishment by the cricket board for his alleged involvement in the 2013 IPL spot-fixing.
While representing Sreesanth, senior advocate Salman Khurshid drew the Azhar analogy and argued that if a life ban on the former India captain can be reversed, then why can’t the same be done for his client. The BCCI maintained that it has a water-tight case against Sreesanth and the life ban cannot be revoked. The Kerala cricketer, on the other hand, described the punishment as “completely unfair”.
Coincidentally, the Supreme Court verdict comes at a time when the media has been tom-tomming the rather ridiculous line of argument offered on match-fixing by none other than Mahendra Singh Dhoni.
Indian cricket’s Mr Cool has had this to say in a soon-to-be released documentary that focuses on Chennai Super Kings’ fairy tale IPL comeback last year, following a two-year suspension for spot-fixing. “The biggest crime that I can commit is not a murder, it is actually match fixing,” says Dhoni in the 45-second trailer of documentary ‘Roar of the Lion’, which will be streamed on Hotstar from March 20.
For SportzPower, the biggest takeaway from the adulatory reception his ill-informed comments received in the media is that it actually holds a mirror to just how low a price life has in Indian society.
