BCCI probe panel: 'We will abide by Supreme Court's decision', says Rajiv Shukla

Commenting on the Supreme Court's refusal to stay the Bombay High Court ruling that the two-member probe panel set up by the Indian cricket board to look into the spot-fixing scandal was 'illegal and unconstitutional', BCCI Vice President Rajiv Shukla on Wednesday said that the Board would abide by the decision of the Supreme Court.

"Whatever the Supreme Court has decides we will abide by that and accordingly we will proceed," he told media here today.

The Supreme Court on Wednesday refused to grant interim stay on Bombay High Court's verdict declaring the Board of Control for Cricket in India's (BCCI) two-member probe panel set up to look into spot-fixing and betting charges in the IPL tournament as illegal and unconstitutional.

According to reports, a bench of justices A K Patnaik and J S Khehar, however, agreed to hear BCCI's petition challenging the high court's judgement and issued notice on its plea. The bench asked Cricket Association of Bihar, on whose plea the High Court had delivered its verdict, to file its response on BCCI's petition within two weeks and posted the matter for hearing on August 29.

The High Court order had come on July 30 just two days after the panel, comprising two former judges of the Madras High Court Justices T Jayarama Chouta and R Balasubramanian, submitted its report giving a clean chit to all those against whom the probe was conducted.

A two-member probe panel comprising retired High Court judges said no evidence of spot-fixing was found against Rajasthan Royals' co-owner Raj Kundra and Gurunath Meiyappan, son-in-law of N Srinivasan.

The IPL Governing Council on August 2 decided to appeal to the Supreme Court, which meant that Srinivasan will remain president-in-exile till the Bombay High Court order was vacated.

Meanwhile, Jagmohan Dalmiya will continue as interim BCCI president.

The BCCI has been inflicted with several controversies after multiple allegations were made against players and owners, as part of the IPL spot-fixing scandal at the tournament"s sixth edition.

N. Srinivasan, who owns India Cements, had stepped aside as the BCCI chief after his son-in-law Gurunath Meiyappan, part of the Chennai Super Kings management, was arrested on charges of betting in IPL matches.

He was later released on bail.

Earlier, Rajasthan Royals co-owner Raj Kundra was questioned by Delhi Police and was reported to have been betting on IPL matches. The scandal broke up with the arrest of three cricketers - S Sreesanth, Ankeet Chavan and Ajit Chandila - amidst IPL 6.