After IPL scandal, India finally moves closer to sports bill

New Delhi: The much talked about Indian sports bill has finally taken some shape after an initial draft reportedly reached the Union Minister of Sports and Youth Affairs on Wednesday.

According to a report in DNA, the draft of the proposed 'Prevention of Sporting Fraud Bill' reached sports minister Sarbananda Sonowal for approval.

However, it was sent back by the law ministry after making some "amendments" to bring all the National Sports Association (NSF) in the country including the all-powerful Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) under its ambit, the report claimed citing a Sports Ministry source.

Once enacted, it will make sporting frauds including under-performance, cheating, sharing inside information, illegal and will attract jail terms and fine.

And it's believed that the bill is likely to be presented for the Cabinet approval during the ongoing Monsoon session.

"If any player, official or administrator is caught cheating, there is provision for heavy fines and a jail term up to maximum of five years in cases like match-fixing," the report quoted the Sports Ministry source.

After the high profile Indian Premier League (IPL) spot-fixing and betting scandal rocked the nation, many have demanded a strong sports bill.

It may be noted that the Supreme Court intervened to ban IPL franchises Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals after their respective co-owners Gurunath Meiyappan and Raj Kundra were implicated for wrong-doings.