Back as the BCCI president after a Supreme Court ruling, under-fire N Srinivasan today said that his conscience was clear and he did not quit his post despite calls for his ouster since he has done nothing wrong
Asked if his conscience allowed him to continue as the BCCI president even after his son-in-law and Chennai Super Kings Team Principal Gurunath Meiyappan was chargesheeted by Mumbai Police in connection with the IPL 6 spot-fixing and betting scandal, Srinivasan said there was no issue of morality involved as he had not done anything wrong.
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"Most certainly, I would not have taken up the position if I felt otherwise. And, as I said in the beginning I stand for what I do. If I have done something wrong, yes, my conscience would not permit me. But in this case it was not so that is what I said in the very beginning," Srinivasan said.
"If this is the road we want to travel, then in a sense we differ (from each other) then. If that is your view, you are entitled to that," he told 'Times Now'. In a big relief to Srinivasan, the Supreme Court yesterday allowed him to take charge as BCCI President even as it constituted a three-member committee headed by former Punjab & Haryana Chief Justice Mukul Mudgal to inquire into the allegation of betting and spot-fixing against his son-in-law and owners of Rajasthan Royals. Srinivasan had stepped aside from his post after his son-in-law Gurunath Meiyappan was arrested in connection with the spot-fixing scandal.
He was later restrained by the apex court from taking charge after being re-elected as President, before the Supreme Court cleared the decks for his return. The Tamil Nadu strongman vehemently denied that he had a hand in the appointment of an earlier probe panel of two retired judges to inquire into the IPL scandal, which was later ruled "illegal" by the Bombay High Court.
"I am not going into the matter concerning Gurunath, which is a subject matter of Supreme Court. Why should I go into a matter which is sub-judice," Srinivasan said. "There are some allegations and somebody is looking after them. The thing is I was not involved in the setting up of the (earlier) probe panel.
I stepped aside on June 2 and the probe panel was set up by the BCCI Working Committee on June 10. "I have been under a savaged attack from the media. The media might have wanted me to go but I am blameless and so I stayed put. I am not an accused," he said. He said the BCCI members reposed faith on him in the September 29 AGM despite what had happened.
"I was elected unanimously as president at the AGM. Despite that the members were asked whether they have faith in me in the light of all that had been happening and they said yes. They reposed faith on me," he said. Srinivasan said he would stay away from the investigation of the probe panel set up by the Supreme Court and will cooperate with the inquiry according to what the apex court told him.
"I have been told not to get involved in IPL matters and cooperate with the probe. I will do exactly what the Supreme Court has said," he said. He said he "will speak out in detail about the whole issue when I am in a position to do that"u00a0
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