Many have been arrested in connection with the ongoing probe into the IPL spot-fixing scandal that has left the nation in shock. Gurunath Meiyappan, the son-in-law of BCCI President N Srinivasan, was arrested by the Mumbai Police for allegedly indulging in betting from Srinivasan&’s farmhouse in Kodaikanal. The arrests opened a Pandora&’s box and the controversy reached the doorstep of Srinivasan, who has already distanced himself from Meiyappan.
As a damage control act, the BCCI President announced the setting up of a three-member commission to probe the allegations against his son-in-law and Chennai Super Kings official, in which he will have no role. However, BCCI chief&’s statement that Meiyappan was seen around the CSK dugout during IPL matches because of his enthusiasm, seems like a bad omen.
The BCCI chief is under tremendous pressure to step down on moral grounds, but has remained defiant so far. “I have no knowledge of his (Gurunath&’s) activities. I do not go for Chennai Super Kings’ matches and I hardly watch Twenty20 cricket,” Srinivasan has said. As a last resort to cling to power, the BCCI chief would refer the ICC&’s Code of Ethics, according to which there is a specific clause pertaining to gambling, gaming and betting where a ‘Director’ or equivalent and his family members cannot indulge in any activity pertaining to “betting business”, but there is no specific mention of son-in-law in that particular clause. A BCCI source is reported to have said, “Interim arrangement can only happen if Srinivasan voluntary quits or two-thirds of the BCCI governing body&’s members (24 out of 31) want him to go.”
There is no threat to his position at this moment. Unless the BCCI chief resigns on moral grounds, it will hardly be possible to unearth the big guys behind the scene. Morality and responsibility are two words confined to the dictionary. It doesn’t work in the Indian Parliament and it never worked in the BCCI.
s s paul,
27 may, nadia.

Ban IPL
The arrest of Gurunath Meiyappan, the son-in-law of the BCCI President, has changed the whole scenario. It proves that the malady is deep-rooted. Congratulations to the investigating team for having nabbed the mastermind.
It was known that spot-fixing by three junior players would not have been possible had there been no involvement of the big boys and the truth has come out. These big boys were fooling the public under the garb of presenting the game in a colourful manner to attract cricket lovers.Now that the modus-operandi of the big boys has come to the surface and the public outcry is palpable, perhaps it is time to ban the IPL to uphold the sanctity of the game.
saswato gupta,
27 may, kolkata.

Spirit at stake
The arrest of Gurunath Meiyappan may act as a deterrent in match/spot-fixing; it is learnt that the tip of the iceberg has been noticed and a lot of sordid affairs are still behind the curtain. The arrest of the son-in-law of the BCCI chief speaks volumes about the involvement of many big shots in the scandal.
Just two years ago, the Scotland Yard nabbed three Pakistani cricketers red-handed for match-fixing. But the lessons have not been learnt.
There are many other instances where the spirit of the game has been vitiated. By getting involved in such nasty affairs, players deceive their teams, the audience and the spirit of cricket. Is it desirable? Certainly not.
As long as the small fries are getting caught, no eyebrow will be raised. But if the Pandora&’s Box gets opened, there will be hue and cry and no stone would be left unturned to suppress the offenders. This is where the corruption index of our country is pointing. After all, cricket is a gentleman&’s game and the players entering into this form of infamy should be expelled for good.
Everyone will find it difficult to believe that betting worth a whopping Rs 40,000 crore goes on in the IPL. What else could be more shameful?
Once the involvement of the big boys is revealed, efforts will be made to turn the table to safeguard the interest of actual offenders.
We have seen many big scams where committees are formed to look into allegations. Prolonged judicial procedures add to the rut and errant persons roam freely. If the faith on the spirit of the game is lost, will it be easy to revive? Will the offenders bother to pay any heed to this?
indranil sanyal,
28 may, kolkata.

Temporary reprieve
Few things have been more disturbing in this cricket-crazy country than the spot-fixing scandal, which threatens to tarnish the image of the gentlemen&’s game. With the arrest of Gurunath Meiyappan, son-in-law of BCCI President N Srinivasan and owner of Chennai Super Kings, the pressure on the latter for his resignation appears to have been mounting; several of his rivals have already started gunning for him. Srinivasan, though, has sought to distance himself from Meiyappan due to tactical reasons, and said Meiyappan is neither the owner, nor the CEO or team principal of CSK. Besides, the NCP&’s demand for immediate resignation of BCCI president N Srinivasan in the wake of Gurunath&’s alleged involvement in the IPL scam assumed significance as Mr Pawar is known to be a formidable force in India&’s cricketing establishment.
Despite the BCCI president&’s rivals plotting a strategy to seek his ouster, Srinivasan has remained defiant. The dinner meeting at the CAB President Jagmohan Dalmiya&’s place in Kolkata on 25 May perhaps ensured a reprieve for him; the BCCI officials who attended it did not appear to be too keen to press for a change of leadership, and a consensus seems to have emerged at the meeting against seeking his ouster.
Moreover, it appears that Srinivasan needed eight votes out of 31 to be able to stay on as president, and it would be difficult to dislodge him.
Police probes into the IPL scandal lack cohesion, as there is evidence of different arms working at cross purposes.
arun kumar bhaduri,
27 may, kolkata.