Srinivasan's comeback bid halted, BCCI to appeal against order

A defiant N Srinivasan was today forced to drop his desperate bid to reinstate himself as BCCI President after the under-fire Board called off its Working Committee meeting here, fearing legal trouble in the wake of an adverse Bombay High Court order.

Srinivasan, who was expected to resume charge as BCCI President at the meeting, will have to wait on the sidelines for a longer period with Jagmohan Dalmiya continuing as the interim chief.

The BCCI decided to appeal in the Supreme Court against the Bombay High Court order, which had declared the Board's IPL spot-fixing probe as "illegal and unconstitutional".

Before the working committee meeting was called off, the IPL's Governing Council decided to reconstitute its ethics commission, where two positions were lying vacant following resignations of Ajay Shirke (Treasurer) and Sanjay Jagdale (Honorary Secretary)

"At its meeting in Delhi earlier today, the IPL Governing Council (Mr. N. Srinivasan having recused himself) considered at length, the issues arising from the Bombay High Court's order regarding the constitution of the probe commission, which was formed to investigate the complaints made by the BCCI against India Cements Limited, Jaipur IPL Cricket Private Limited, Mr. Gurunath Meiyappan and Mr Raj Kundra, the BCCI Secretary Sanjay Patel said in a statement.

"As a matter of principle, the members confirmed that it was important that the Governing Council's actions be and be seen to be both legally and ethically correct.

"The Governing Council believes that the probe commission was properly constituted in accordance with the IPL Operational Rules, and has consequently decided that an appeal should be filed in the Honourable Supreme Court," he added.

Srinivasan recused himself from the meeting while this decision was taken but returned after that.