Clean Chit to Srinivasan

The enquiry distributed clean chits to virtually everyone

The script for BCCI President N Srinivasan’s return was written at the time, it seems, that he recused himself from the organisation. We were told at the time that he was not stepping down but stepping aside for an impartial investigation of charges of betting against his son-in-law Gurunath Meiyappan.

That enquiry, conducted by a commission comprising two former Madras High Court judges, came out with its findings this week and distributed clean chits to virtually everyone. It decided, says a report in The Hindu, ‘the arrest of CSK principal and Mr Srinivasan’s son-in-law Gurunath Meiyappan for betting [did not have] a bearing on the involvement of India Cements—and correspondingly—its Managing Director, Mr Srinivasan’.

Their honours found nothing against Meiyappan because the Mumbai Police didn’t provide any evidence. They say they were not obliged to do so but they probably don’t have much evidence. Absence of evidence is not proof of innocence but it is not proof of guilt either. And that is all that is required in the BCCI’s scheme of things.

Except, two days after the clean chit, the Bombay High Court heard a PIL by the Cricket Association of Bihar and ruled that the setting up of the enquiry commission wasn’t legal. The PIL, said an Indian Express report, had ‘alleged blatant bias by former BCCI President Srinivasan… in constituting the probe panel as he is the Vice Chairman and Managing Director of India Cements Ltd.’ So now, what happens to the ‘illegal’ enquiry commission’s report? Ordinarily, it would be junked. But the BCCI being the BCCI will employ delaying tactics and probably go in for appeal. Meanwhile Srinivasan will probably return to the Board’s helm again. Given that the betting scandal is already a distant memory, there won’t be too much of an uproar either.

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arindam