Longer wait for Srinivasan as SC refuses to revoke order (Roundup)

Narayanaswami Srinivasan will have to wait for at least another week before again taking charge of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) as the Supreme Court Monday declined to revoke its order restraining him from assuming office on his re-election.

With Monday's decision, Srinivasan has to stay away from office till Oct 7, when the apex court again takes up the matter, while other office bearers took immediate charge.

Srinivasan was on Sunday unanimously re-elected as the BCCI president for a third year in office.

In the absence of Srinivasan, board secretary Sanjay Patel cleared the senior team that was selected in Chennai on Sunday.

BCCI vice president Rajiv Shukla told IANS that the Supreme Court's postponement of the case won't affect the running of the board.

"It is a matter of only four days. For the time being, it is status quo," Shukla told IANS.

Meanwhile, the apex court bench headed by Justice A.K. Patnaik asked the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to furnish its proposal under which Srinivasan will be allowed to discharge his duties mandated by the BCCI constitution while completely keeping off the probe into allegations against his son-in-law Gurunath Meiyappan of involvement in spot fixing and betting in the lucrative Indian Premier League (IPL).

The court said this after the BCCI pleaded that Srinivasan be allowed to discharge certain responsibilities as the board chief.

Senior counsel Harish Salve, appearing for Cricket Association of Bihar, said they could respond to the suggestion by the BCCI only after receiving the concrete proposal in writing.

The apex court was hearing a petition filed last week by Cricket Association of Bihar (CAB) secretary Aditya Verma pleading that Srinivasan be barred from contesting the BCCI presidential election. He also wanted the SC to issue an interim ban preventing Srinivasan from being a member of any committee of the Indian cricket board.

The petition was filed on the ground that Srinivasan's son-in-law Gurunath Meiyappan is being probed by Mumbai police for placing bets in the Indian Premier League (IPL) matches.

The apex court allowed Srinivasan to contest the election but said that he cannot discharge his duties.

In the course of the hearing, the court observed that "so many things are coming about IPL and something seems wrong with the apex cricketing body ... why it has lost its credibility", Justice Patnaik asked BCCI counsel C.A. Sundaram.

"Only things we have to see how far you as BCCI president will affect the probe or prosecution," Justice Patnaik asked Sundaram.

Sundaram urged the court to partially lift its bar as there were certain things that can be done in BCCI only by the president.

BCCI told the court that Srinivasan have nothing to do as far as probe was concerned.

Salve said BCCI should set up an independent committee that will deal with the matter individually and in-depth.