SC slams Srinivasan for chairing cricket board meet

The Supreme Court today expressed its displeasure at India Cements vice-chairman and managing director N Srinivasan chairing a meeting of the working committee of the Board of Control of Cricket in India in Chennai on 8 February, despite a 22 January judgment finding him in conflict of interest.

A bench of Justices T S Thakur and Ibrahim Kalifulla said Srinivasan, the tenacious ex-chairman of the Indian cricket board, should not have presided over the meeting as he was already disqualified from holding any post in the board.

During the first day's hearing, the bench also concluded that the court has certainly found that there is a conflict of interest by his presence during the board meeting.

Srinivasan continues to head the global cricket body ICC despite being under a cloud at home.

Before adjourning the hearing to 27 February, the bench asked for an unconditional apology and explanation from the Tamil Nadu political and business strong-man.

The hearing on contempt of court petition against Srinivasan, filed for the Cricket Association of Bihar (CAB) on 18 February started today. In the plea, CAB challenged Srinivasan and other BCCI officials for holding the board meeting in alleged violation of court directives.

The plea cited media reports to claim that Srinivasan had chaired the Indian cricket board's working committee meeting despite facing disqualification due to a January 22 judgement of the apex court.

On 22 January, the court ruled that ''no one who has any commercial interest in the BCCI events including the 1st respondent (Srinivasan) shall be eligible for contesting the elections for any post whatsoever and that the disqualification for contesting elections applicable to those who are holding any commercial interest in BCCI events shall hold good and continue till such time the person concerned holds such commercial interest or till the committee appointed by this court considers and awards suitable punishment to those liable for the same; whichever is later.''

The CAB also contended that Srinivasan continued to have commercial interest in the Indian Premier League (IPL) matches of BCCI and hence he was disqualified from holding the post of BCCI President and President of Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA).

"If this Court held Srinivasan disqualified from contesting for the post of President, BCCI until he has any commercial interest in the events of BCCI (then) it goes without saying that he is disqualified as on date to hold the post of President BCCI or be involved in working of BCCI as per the order of this court dated January, 22 2015," the petition added.