SC refuses to hear N Srinivasan`s request to reinstate him as BCCI chief

Zee Media Bureau

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Thursday refused to hear Narayanaswami Srinivasan`s plea to reinstate him as the President of Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for all non-Indian Premier League (IPL) purposes. The apex court bench of Justice B.S. Chauhan and Justice A.K. Sikri declining the plea, said they would not interfere with the order passed by another bench. The court also said that Srinivasan could approach Justice A.K. Patnaik -- who passed the order, for whatever modifications he was seeking in orders. Srinivasan's plea was presented by counsel Nagendra Rai. The ousted BCCI chief moved the court yesterday seeking modification of its earlier orders to enable him to function as the Board`s president for activities other than the cash-rich Twenty20 tournament. Srinivasan sought modification of March 28 and May 16 interim orders by which he was restrained from functioning as the BCCI President and former cricketers Sunil Gavaskar and Shiv Lal Yadav were asked to continue as the Presidents of BCCI till September 2014 when the matter will be heard next. "Suitably modify the orders dated March 28, 2014 and May 16, 2014 passed by this Court and permit the applicant herein to function with immediate effect as the President of BCCI in so far as the non-IPL-2014 related activities are concerned," Srinivasan said in the application. Srinivasan argued that he was elected as the President of the cricket body in September last in the AGM held on the orders of the apex court and if the orders are not modified immediately his one year tenure would come to an end. He said the restrictions imposed on him from discharging the functions of the President of BCCI has led to tremendous loss of goodwill for him and has become a major source of embarrassment in the eyes of the public. He submitted that he has a strong case on merits and is most likely to emerge unscathed from the baseless allegations levelled against him with respect to betting and spot-fixing. Srinivasan further said that the March 28 order restraining him from functioning as the BCCI President has been passed by the apex Court without taking into consideration that there is no material whatsoever on record to substantiate allegations of betting and or spot-fixing against him or even of non-cooperation with the probe panel constituted by this Court. The application further said none of the players against whom any wrong-doing is alleged have been restrained from participating in the IPL-2014 and it is only he who is having to face the stigma of restriction from functioning as the BCCI President despite the probe-panel itself submitting before the apex court that the allegations against him were unestablished. "The applicant most humbly submits that there is no objection from his side in the probe panel further investigating the allegations against him along with other persons. However, grave prejudice has occasioned to the applicant herein upon being restrained from discharging the functions as the President of BCCI," it said. "The applicant, therefore, if not permitted to act and function as the President of BCCI with immediate effect at least with respect to the non-IPL-2014 related activities having no nexus with the probe would suffer irreparable harm and injury. "The unceremonious exclusion of the applicant from discharging even the remaining non-IPL, 2014 related functions is too drastic a step and is extremely harsh on the applicant who has always cooperated to the best of his abilities with the probe panel and undertakes to continue doing so in future too. Srinivasan said he has no objection to the appointment and continuation of Gavaskar in his place to act and function as the President of BCCI for IPL-2014. With Agency inputs