New Delhi, July 14: After close to 26 months since the spot-fixing scandal hit the Indian cricket, two IPL franchisees – Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Rajasthan Royals (RR) were suspended Tuesday from the cash-rich cricket league for two years for the betting activities of their key officials Gurunath Meiyappan and Raj Kundra during the 2013 season.
Meiyappan, the former team principal of CSK, and Kundra, co-owner of the Rajasthan Royals, were also suspended for life for indulging in betting and bringing the IPL and the game into disrepute.
The punishments were handed down by a Supreme Court- appointed three-member committee headed by former Chief Justice of India RM Lodha, putting a spanner on the high-profile T20 league. The two other members of the committee were retired Supreme Court judges Ashok Bhan and R Raveendran.
“He (Meiyappan) is declared ineligible for participation in the sport of cricket as explained in the anti-corruption code for a maximum period of five years under article 2.2.1. He is suspended for life from activities as explained in article 7.5 under level 4. And three: He is suspended for life from being involved in any type of cricket matches under section 6, rule 4.2. The above sanctions commence from the date of this order,” Justice Lodha said while giving out the verdict in a packed press conference.
The former CJI then read out exactly the same punishment for Kundra, husband of Bollywood star Shilpa Shetty.
Justice Lodha added: India Cements argued that they have done a lot to develop the game of cricket. But it cannot be a mitigating factor because they as franchise owners did not punish Gurunath, who was clearly identified as a team official, after he was found guilty of betting. It was only the BCCI who suspended Gurunath from participating in cricket.
“Rajasthan Royal claim that they are celebrated as a nursery of players. But three of their players have been accused of alleged spot-fixing. This shows that all is not well in their handling of affairs. The position of Raj Kundra with the Rajasthan Royals franchise – part-owner and team official – means his actions brought the game, BCCI and IPL into disrepute.” PTI
