A recent meeting with an influential Delhi politician gave N Srinivasan an idea of the options he would have after the Supreme Court's verdict on conflict of interest issue
N Srinivasan
New Delhi: A crucial meeting between sidelined BCCI president N Srinivasan and an influential Delhi politician is seen as a crucial step in the Board's future moves after its slugfest with Aditya Verma of Cricket Association of Bihar (CAB) that resulted in yesterday's Supreme Court judgment. "The recent meeting was crucial and Srinivasan is acting accordingly," a top BCCI official told mid-day.
N Srinivasan. Pic/PTI
Srinivasan was told to be on the right side of the law, clean his stables. "He was told that the Board's image was sullied and was impacting many, especially the players, and a World Cup was due to start in less than a month. He was assured of all help from New Delhi if he made the slate clean," the official said.
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Share transfer begins
It is reliably learnt that Srinivasan, who has been told by the Supreme Court that he cannot contest in the next round of Board's elections until his gives up his commercial interest in Chennai Super Kings, has already started transferring India Cement shares from CSK.
The court stated any charges against Srinivasan's involvement in a cover-up could not be proved. It said that Srinivasan had "created" a conflict of interest situation in the 2013 IPL case after Super Kings had entered the picture. The court said, "no rule can permit conflict of interest". And Srinivasan is rectifying it with renewed zeal.
So the slate's probably clean for the Chennai cricket czar. Then, when the BCCI elections takes place within six weeks, the Chennai-based Srinivasan will have all the support from the East Zone, where former board president Jagmohan Dalmiya reigns.
"This is not an end game for Srinivasan, his window is clear. The court has offered him an option and he will surely take it," the official said. In a judgment concerning one aspect of the 2013 IPL corruption case, the two-man bench of Justice TS Thakur and FMI Kalifullah scrapped BCCI's controversial constitutional amendment allowing board officials to have commercial interests in IPL and Champions League T20.
"Srinivasan is making all efforts to keep himself and members of his family away from CSK. That probe (by a Supreme Court-appointed committee) will conclude by July or August but the BCCI elections will be held in a month and a half, or earlier. And Srinivasan's biggest advantage is that he has no opposition," the official said.
BCCI amenable to law
The only drawback for Srinivasan, claimed the official, was the court's reaction on the board's style of functioning. In a declaration that could have far-reaching consequences on the board's conduct, the court said that while the BCCI was a private body, it performed a public function and was therefore amenable to judicial law and review.
The court said that the "state" (govt), had until now not chosen to bring in any law to check BCCI's "monopoly". It empowered the independent committee to look into the aspects of BCCI's constitution deemed as "problematic" along with issuing punishment to Gurunath Meiyappan, Raj Kundra, Rajasthan Royals and Super Kings.
So, it's advantage Srinivasan again, unless more dirt surfaces in the probe by the Supreme Court-appointed committee.
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