CSK boss Gurunath Meiyappan to be produced in court today

BCCI president N Srinivasan is under intense pressure to step down after Gurunath Meiyappan's arrest

 

Gurunath Meiyappan, the son-in-law of Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) chief N. Srinivasan, was arrested a little before midnight on Friday after he arrived in Mumbai to face police questioning over his telephone conversations with spot-fixing accused Vindoo Dara Singh.

 

"We have interrogated Mr Gurunath after he arrived here (Mumbai) at the crime branch headquarters," Himanshu Roy, the joint commissioner of Mumbai Police, said.

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"We have gone through questioning with him in detail and after due deliberation, we have arrived at the conclusion there is evidence of involvement in offence we are investigating and therefore he has been placed under arrest. He will be produced in court within 24 hours as per law."

 

Meiyappan, who was accompanied by leading Chennai lawyer P.S. Raman, arrived at the commissioner’s office compound at 8.55pm and was escorted inside. Initial reports had said Meiyappan was proving a tough nut and refusing to answer his interrogators’ questions.
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The CSK boss had sought time till Monday but the Mumbai Police had rejected his request, apparently wanting to get him face-to-face with actor-bookie Vindoo as quickly as possible.

 

Srinivasan had not commented in public since the reports first emerged on Wednesday that his son-in-law was linked to the IPL scandal, but after the arrest he maintained he would not resign as BCCI president, according to TV reports.
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Vindoo's call records showed that he was in constant touch with the BCCI president's son-in-law. Vindoo was often seen at the VIP boxes, as an invitee of Meiyappan, during Super Kings matches in the T20 league.

Meiyappan's arrest makes the Chennai Super Kings’ continuation in the Indian Premier League (IPL) untenable. Clause 12.3 of the league says that any franchise or cricket administrator bringing the tournament into disrepute will be thrown out of the IPL.

 

Earlier in the day, India Cements released a statement saying: “Meiyappan is neither owner, nor CEO or team principal of CSK. He is only one of the members (honorary) of CSK’s management team.”

Earlier in the week, Meiyappan's name had cropped up during the interrogation of arrested actor Vindoo whose custody has also been extended till 28 May.