The under-fire N Srinivasan's defiant bid to get an extended term as BCCI President hit a massive roadblock today with the Supreme Court asking him not to take charge even if he is elected in the Annual General Meeting on Sunday where the Cricket Board itself would be hard-pressed for options.
Hearing a plea by the Cricket Association of Bihar, which sought to stop Srinivasan from contesting, the Supreme Court today allowed the Tamil Nadu strongman to fight it out but told him not to take charge even if he is elected till further orders.
"In case Srinivasan is elected as President, he will not take charge until further orders," a bench comprising Justices A K Patnaik and J S Kehar said.
The bench took strong exception to Srinivasan still holding charge of BCCI when his son-in-law Gurunath Meiyappan has been charge sheeted in connection with the IPL spot- fixing case
It is another setback for Srinivasan who already has his back against the wall after being forced to step aside when his son-in-law and Chennai Super Kings Team Principal Gurunath Meiyappan's name cropped up in the IPL betting scandal.
Srinivasan's company India Cements owns CSK, a two-time IPL champion side.
Despite not having anything against his name, Srinivasan has been under tremendous pressure to resign on moral grounds but has remained defiant, challenging every dissenting voice within and outside the BCCI.
In fact, Srinivasan's election for an added one-year term as BCCI President was a real possibility this Sunday given that he had the backing of all the six units of south zone, whose turn it is to nominate a candidate for the top job.
Given the technicalities arising out of today's order, the Board can hardly afford to have a President who cannot take charge immediately as interim chief Jagmohan Dalmiya does not have the signing authority.
