THE SON-IN-LAW of India’s cricket board chief was on Sunday (May 26) suspended from “any involvement” in the sport pending an inquiry into his role in a spot-fixing scandal, officials said.
Gurunath Meiyappan, part of the management team of Indian Premier League franchise Chennai Super Kings, was arrested by police in Mumbai on Friday (May 24) for allegedly betting on matches in connivance with bookies and a Bollywood actor.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) said it had taken note of Meiyappan’s detention and decided to take action, pending further investigations by the police as well as its own disciplinary committee.
“Meiyappan has been suspended by the BCCI from any involvement in the sport of cricket and in particular from any involvement with the Chennai Super Kings team,” BCCI Secretary Sanjay Jagdale said in a statement.
Jagdale added that the board will continue to offer all assistance to the police and regulatory authorities.
Meiyappan, who is the son-in-law of BCCI president N Srinivasan, appeared in a Mumbai court on Saturday (May 25) and was remanded in police custody for four days.
Police have widened their probe into the spot-fixing scandal after Test paceman Shanthakumaran Sreesanth and two of his Rajasthan Royals teammates were arrested on May 16.
The trio, who deny any wrongdoing, are accused of deliberately bowling badly in IPL matches in exchange of tens of thousands of dollars after striking deals with bookies.
India’s film industry also got mixed up in the controversy after Bollywood actor Vindu Dara Singh Randhawa was taken into custody last week for his alleged links to bookmakers.
The Times of India newspaper on Sunday (May 26) said Meiyappan had passed on “privileged information” such as nature of the pitch and batting order to Randhawa who in turn relayed it to bookies.
The police had telephone intercepts and other evidence to prove that Meiyappan shared information with Randhawa before matches, the English-language daily said, quoting police sources.
Meiyappan’s arrest has led to a clamour for the sacking of Srinivasan but the BCCI head insisted he was going nowhere.
