BCCI Ombudsman Justice (Retd) DK Jain to Decide Sreesanth’s Quantum of Punishment

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IPL Spot-fixing case

The ombudsman for the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Justice (Retd) DK Jain will decide the quantum of punishment for pace bowler S Sreesanth for his alleged involvement in the infamous IPL 2013 spot-fixing scandal, the Supreme Court said on Friday.

The apex court had nearly a fortnight ago set aside the life ban imposed on Sreesanth by the game’s governing body in India while asking the BCCI Ombudsman to reconsider the quantum of punishment within three months. A bench comprising Justices Ashok Bhushan and KM Joseph said this while hearing an application filed by BCCI. The cricket board has said that since its disciplinary committee, which had earlier dealt with Sreesanth’s matter is no longer operational, the matter be referred to the Ombudsman appointed by the Supreme Court.

Last month, the top court had also said that its verdict shall have no effect on the criminal proceedings pending against the former cricketer in the Delhi High Court, where the Delhi Police has challenged a trial court’s order discharging all accused, including Sreesanth, in the IPL spot-fixing case.

A single-judge bench of the Kerala High Court had lifted the life ban imposed on the 35-year-old cricketer by the BCCI and had set aside all proceedings against him initiated by the board. Later, the division bench of the high court had restored the ban on a petition filed by the BCCI against the single-judge bench’s order.

—India Legal Bureau