Srinivisan remains defiant, will not step aside

Amidst the clamour of his resignation, Indiasn cricket board president N. Srinivasan Wednesday hinted that he was not stepping aside despite the arrest of his son-in-law Gurunath Meiyappan over alleged betting in Indian Premier League (IPL).

Moments after IPL chairman Rajeev Shukla asked Srinivasan to step aside pending inquiry, Srinivasan said the three-member commission set-up by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is independent and he has nothing to do with it.

"The commission is independent - there are two independent judges and the secretary of the board. They have powers to endorse punishments. We will just await that result. I have nothing else to say. Why don't you guys relax," Srinivasan told reporters outside the BCCI headquarters here.

Srinivasan said Shukla's plea was a mere reiteration of what he (Srinivasan) had himself stated earlier during his press conference in Kolkata where he announced setting up the commission.

"I saw Shukla's latest interview and it is very clear that he has said that I should disassociate with the procedure. In Kolkata, I said the same - I will have nothing to do with the commission, its appointment and its probe. This is what Shukla said. He has reiterated what I said in Kolkata," Srinivasan added.

Asked about the views of his board colleague Jyotiraditya Scindia, who also wants him to step aside, Srinivasan said: "I don't respond to individual comments."

BCCI secretary Sanjay Jagdale, Justice (retd) T. Jayaram Chouta of the Karnataka and Tamil Nadu High Courts, and Justice (retd) R. Balasubramanian of the Tamil Nadu High Court constitute the three-member commission set up to investigate the spot fixing scandal.

The commission will be looking into the allegations against Meiyappan, Chennai Super Kings' owners India Cements Ltd., and Rajasthan Royals' owners Jaipur IPL Pvt. Ltd.