SC delivers its judgment on BCCI-IPL, Constitutes 3-member panel to decide on punishment, and disqualifies persons having stakes in IPL teams to contest BCCI

The Supreme Court of India today delivered a verdict that is going to have a huge impact on administration of cricket in India. The Cricket Association of Bihar had then filed a petition before the Bombay High Court, asking it to declare "appointment of the two-member Probe Commission was ultra vires of the Rules and Regulations of the BCCI" and asked it to constitute a panel "comprising retired Judges to hold an enquiry against among others Mr. Gurunath Meiyappan for his involvement in betting and spot fixing. The High Court was of the view that constitution of a Probe Committee under Section 6 of the IPL Operational Rules was the prerogative of the BCCI." The Court in its judgment also notes the observations made by the Mudgal Committee, including, "The Committee also held that franchisee owner CSK was responsible for its failure to ensure that Mr. Gurunath Meiyappan complied with BCCI Anti-Corruption Code, IPL Operational Rules and IPL Regulations" and "against Mr. Raj Kundra, the Committee opined that further and serious investigation was required to be conducted into the said allegations for the allegations of betting if proved against Mr. Kundra and his wife Ms. Shilpa Shetty, would constitute a serious infraction of the provisions of IPL Operational Rules, the Anti-Corruption Code and the Code of Conduct for Players and Team Officials." Having found that Mr. Meyippan and Kundra were officials in their respective teams, the Supreme Court discussed the Permissible action in terms of the IPL Operational Rules and observed, "that once Mr. Gurunath Meiyappan and Mr. Raj Kundra are accepted as team officials, their misconduct which has adversely affected the image of the BCCI and the league as also the game and brought each one of them to disrepute can result in imposition of one or more of the sanctions stipulated under Rule 6.4.