BCCI issued notice over Sreesanth’s ban

MUMBAI: The Board for Control of Cricket in India (BCCI) has been given four weeks’ time by the Supreme Court to respond to the petition filed by S Sreesanth challenging the life ban imposed on him.

In October last year, the Kerala High Court reimposed the life ban which had been earlier revoked through a single-judge bench’s order in August. BCCI had banned the Kerala pacer in 2013 for his alleged involvement in the infamous spot-fixing scandal in the Indian Premier League that year. In 2015, a Delhi court acquitted Sreesanth of all charges, but BCCI didn’t withdraw the life ban on the pacer.

The board argued that it could not withdraw the ban against Sreesanth only for the reason that he was exonerated by a Delhi sessions court. It reasoned that the standard of proof (quality of evidence) required in a disciplinary proceeding (conducted by the BCCI) was lesser than that required in a criminal proceeding in a court of law.

The fast bowler went on to challenge the ban by filing a writ petition earlier in 2017. Sreesanth argued that the inquiry team formed by BCCI had submitted the final report without giving him a chance of a hearing. However, after the single bench of the High Court cleared Sreesanth of all charges, BCCI challenged the judgment and reimposed the ban.

Responding to the latest order issued by the apex court of the country, BCCI’s acting president CK Khanna said that the board’s legal team will do its necessary research before deciding its next step. “Our legal team will study the order & submit its report to us for our future course of action.”