The BCCI has initiated an internal inquiry to probe into the allegations of spot- fixing by three players of Rajasthan Royals who have been arrested by the Delhi Police.
The inquiry will be headed by Ravi Sawani who heads the BCCI anti-corruption unit. Sawani has been appointed commisioner of the enquiry. A report will be submitted to the disciplinary committee of BCCI after which the BCCI will take action, said N. Srinivasan, President of BCCI.
This decision was taken at an Emergency Working Committee meeting in Chennai today. If players are found guilty, strict action will be taken, said Srinivasan without elaborating on the possible action.
In future, BCCI will take strict measures to monitor players and their behaviour, he said. All player agents have to be accredited, anti-corruption unit officials will monitor access to players, player education will be intensified, said the BCCI president.
Earlier this week, S. Sreesanth, Ankeet Chavan and Ajit Chandila were arrested by the Delhi Police. The management of Rajasthan Royals intends to file a complaint against the players, said Srinivasan. The BCCI has also offered its assistance to the police in this matter, he added.
Asked if IPL’s reputation was at stake, the BCCI chief said, “Three individuals are involved. We cannot police them. We are also handicapped over the control of bookies. But the whole of IPL has not gone. We are grateful to the public for coming to the stadium in support of cricket, after the spot-fixing issue broke out.”
At the meeting, BCCI officials were informed by the International Cricket Council’s anti-corruption unit and BCCI’s Ravi Sawani on the measures taken to educate players on corruption and how to deal with possible approaches by bookies. Rajasthan Royals was represented by Manoj Badale, co-owner of the team. BCCI technical committee representative Ravi Shastri also attended the meeting. Former cricketer Anil Kumble joined the meeting via video conference.
The BCCI has sought information from the police for its internal inquiry; it has also offered its assistance to the police.
On reports of other teams being involved, Srinivasan also said BCCI has no information from the police on players from other teams.
Asked whether BCCI should come under the RTI Act, Srinivasan said BCCI was a private organisation with no government funding. "RTI will not apply to us."