With IPL facing heat over murky dealings, Government on Monday said "no guilty or wrong-doer" will be spared and all aspects including the sources and routes of funding of teams probed while its commissioner Lalit Modi came under the scanner of Income Tax authorities.
The Indian Premier League was in focus in Parliament where the Opposition slammed the event as a "betting and gambling ring" where black money was involved and demanded that Government take over its affairs. A Joint Parliamentary Committee probe into IPL's source of funds was also demanded.
In Mumbai, a senior IT official said the IT department probing alleged financial irregularities in the cash-rich IPL will widen its inquiry into the assets and transactions of high-profile Modi and his close associates including their financial interests abroad.
"There are so many shady transactions under the scanner," the official said.
A senior Congress leader and Overseas Indians Minister Vayalar Ravi also lent weight to the Opposition attack calling the cash-rich cricket league as "glorified gambling" and wanted the whole system to be looked into the government.
Modi himself rubbished allegations of betting and money laundering in the popular event and threatened to take legal action against a leading business daily which had made the accusations.
With Opposition parties training their guns on the government over the IPL dealings in the wake of the Lalit Modi-Shashi Tharoor row and the controversy over financial issues relating to IPL teams, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee told the Lok Sabha, "the concerned department has already started investigation process (into the IPL episode)."
Mukherjee assured members that "appropriate action as per law" would be taken if any wrongdoing was found in the manner the IPL was funded.
"The concerned department has already started investigation process (into the IPL episode). All aspects including sources of funding and routes through which the funds arrived would be looked into. Appropriate action as per law would be taken. No guilty or wrong-doer will be spared," Mukherjee said.
Income tax authorities have asked the Board for Control of Cricket in India (BCCI) to respond by April 23 to 10 queries, including the one on income from IPL and its structure.
The BCCI, sources said, was asked questions relating to owners of IPL teams, their balance sheets, income earned during the various tournaments and the money paid to players.
Corporate Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid rejected suggestions of a suo motu action by his ministry into IPL affairs. PTI
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