SC to hear plea for CBI probe into spot fixing

The Supreme Court Tuesday agreed to hold a hearing on a petition seeking a CBI probe into the Indian Premier League (IPL) spot fixing scandal, being investigated by Mumbai and Delhi Police.

Justice Gyan Sudha Misra and Justice Madan B. Lokur agreed to hear the public interest litigation (PIL) after petitioner advocate Pankaj Kapoor said that investigation into the scandal by different state police could result in different chargesheets before different courts.

The apex court was told that it would be prudent if the entire spot fixing scandal was investigated by the CBI in its totality.

The PIL has sought direction for taking suitable legal action against everyone found to be involved in the spot fixing and other illegalities, "which has put the image of the entire nation as well as game of cricket at stake, for ulterior motives".

In her PIL, Mumbai based law lecturer Sharmila Ghug urged the court to direct the CBI to investigate the "allegations of spot fixing, match fixing, betting pertaining to the cricket matches of IPL-6 or its earlier versions, unearth the huge racket committing such illegalities..."

It urged the court to direct the investigating agency to take "strongest possible action against all the masterminds behind the said illegalities and to take appropriate action under the relevant provisions of law, in the peculiar facts and circumstances of the case."

Referring to newspaper reports, the PIL said the allegations made in the spot fixing scam were of very serious nature but the investigating agencies had not booked the accused by applying proper provisions of law.

It said the investigating agencies don't appear to be following the proper steps to ensure that the culprits were got suitably punished.

The PIL said there was no coordination between Delhi Police and Mumbai Police and this would "benefit the wrong doers."

In such a situation, the PIL said that there were "greater chances that the wrongdoers may take benefit of lacunas that are bound to creep in..."

The PIL has made the central, Delhi and Maharashtra governments, the police Commissioners of Delhi and Mumbai, the Central Bureau of Investigation and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) as respondents.

The court directed the listing of the matter for next week.