Kolkata: While defiant BCCI President N Srinivasan is adamant on chairing the Board's Annual General Meeting scheduled to be held in Chennai on September 29, Bihar cricket official Aditya Verma who had taken on the might of the BCCI filing a PIL against it, warned of legal consequences if Srinivasan chaired the cricket annual general meeting.
“I will chair the Annual General Meeting,” Srinivasan told reporters sunday while leaving the hotel where the working committee meeting was held here.
Srinivasan dismissed rumours that he had been under immense pressure since stepping aside as Board president in the wake of the alleged involvement of his son-in-law Gurunath Meiyappan in the IPL betting and spot-fixing scandal.
“I was always relieved. I really don't understand what the problem is. Did I do anything wrong? Was there any accusation or any case against me?,” Srinivasan shot back.
“He has stated in an affidavit before the court that he will not chair any BCCI meeting until the court gives a verdict. He is not above law, and if he has the courage to defy the law, he will have to face the consequences,” Verma said.
“This is typical of him. Even in the Delhi meet or in Sunday meet he had said he will chair it, but he didn't,” added Verma who earlier claimed he had been offered a bribe for an out-of-court settlement with the BCCI
Srinivasan, who in June stepped aside as the Board chief following his son-in-law Gurunath Meiyappan's arrest in connection with spot fixing and betting charges during the sixth edition of Indian Premier League (IPL), announced after an emergency meeting of the Board here Sunday that he will chair the Chennai meeting.
The Bombay High Court, has termed illegal the two-member probe panel that gave a clean chit to Meiyappan, the Chennai Super Kings principal, and Rajasthan Royals co-owner Raj Kundra, in betting and spot-fixing in IPL-6.
The panel comprising retired high court judges T. Jayaram Chouta and R. Balasubramanian, had “found no evidence of wrongdoing by either Gurunath Meiyappan, team principal of Chennai Super Kings, or Raj Kundra, Rajasthan Royals co-owner”.
With the panel's finding paving the way for Srinivasan's return as BCCI chief, Verma, secretary of the unrecognised Cricket Association of Bihar (CAB), had filed a petition challenging its legality.
With the BCCI challenging the high court verdict, the matter is slated to come up for hearing before the Supreme Court Sep 11.
