IPL spot-fixing: Supreme Court moves hearing to Friday

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday asked for more time to read the report submitted by the Justice Mukul Mudgal-led committee which is probing the Indian Premier League (IPL) spot-fixing case.

While the court told both sides it needed more time, the apex court also asked all the parties whether the content of the report should be made public.

Amit Verma, the petitioner, has called for the report to be made public in the interest of the sport.

BCCI also came up with a request where it said that since elections are coming up and there is a AGM meet on November 20, the court should allow N Srinivasan to participate if there is not found guilty. The court has however refused to give Srinivasan the permission to contest in elections.

In the final report submitted by the Mudgal committee on November 3, big names like ICC Chairman N Srinivasan and India captain MS Dhoni were believed to be under the scanner for their conflict of interest and it reportedly named a key member of India’s World Cup-winning team and touched upon his links with illegal bookmakers and match fixers.

There could be trouble for Srinivasan`s son-in-law Gurunath Meiyappan -- former team principal of the Chennai Super Kings franchise, as his voice sample from the audio tape, where he is heard placing bets on IPL games involving CSK, have been authenticated by forensics.

The panel headed by former judge Mukul Mudgal that includes former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly, had in February presented a sealed envelope to the court containing names of 13 individuals which were to be probed further.

The court revealed that Srinivasan was one of the names on the list and ordered the panel to investigate him and the 12 others.

The panel`s preliminary report had concluded that Meiyappan could be guilty of illegal betting on IPL games.

CSK are owned by India Cements, whose managing director is Srinivasan. The team is captained by MS Dhoni.

The court barred Srinivasan from carrying out his duties as president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) until it had delivered its final verdict, but did not stop him from heading the International Cricket Council.

The sixth IPL season last year was marred with a major controversy after police launched legal proceedings against several IPL officials and cricketers, including former Test fast bowler Shanthakumaran Sreesanth, for illegal betting and spot-fixing.

The IPL, which began in 2008, features the world`s top players signed up for huge fees by companies and high-profile individuals in a glitzy mix of sport and entertainment.