IPL: SC reserves order on Swami’s petition to lift CSK ban

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court today resevered its order in an appeal challenging the two-year ban imposed on the IPL franchise, Chennai Super Kings (CSK), over the 2013 betting scam involving its top official Gurunath Meiyappan.
BJP leader Subramanian Swamy had moved the Supreme Court seeking urgent hearing on his application challenging the two-year ban last month saying that there is no allegation against any CSK player or its owner N Srinivasan.
Swami had stated that Lalit Modi and Shashank Manohar conspired to oust Srinivasan and CSK to hurt Tamil sentiments. But SC reminded Swamy that Meiyappan, son in law of Srinivasan, was a CSK official and found guilty of betting. SC also told Swamy that Srinivasan was wearing two hats of BCCI and CSK that led to conflict of interest and no action against Meiyappan.
Swamy wanted the two-year ban to go so that Srinivasan could reassemble players to build CSK to play in IPL again immediately. CSK, then led by M S Dhoni, and Rajasthan Royals were on July 14, last year suspended for two years from the Indian Premier League in a clean-up exercise following the 2013 betting scam.
Meiyappan, a former Team Principal of CSK, and Raj Kundra, co-owner of Jaipur IPL Cricket Pvt. Ltd that runs Rajasthan Royals (RR), were suspended for life from any match conducted by BCCI.
The punishments were handed down by a three-member panel headed by former CJI R M Lodha which was asked by the Supreme Court to decide the quantum of punishment after finding them guilty of betting.