Banned cricketer S Sreesanth’s matter in which he has challenged the Board of Control for Cricket in India’s (BCCI) ban order in the Supreme Court, case up for hearing before the bench of Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justices A M Khanwilkar and D Y Chandrachud on Tuesday (May 15).

Senior advocate Salman Khurshid appearing for the BCCI talked about the BCCI’s disciplinary rules. He said that such an activity can be tried under the rules of the BCCI.

The top court said that since the order of the discharge petition is already pending before the Delhi High Court and was to be decided by the end of July, the top court lists the matter for August.

The matter arises out of a disciplinary proceeding initiated against, Sreesanth. In the disciplinary proceeding, the BCCI imposed a life ban on charges of alleged involvement in spot fixing. The writ petition was not exactly against the said decision in as much as the said decision of the BCCI was issued on September 13, 2013 and this writ petition was filed before this court only on February 28, 2017.

It so happened that having suffered the order of life ban, he did not take up any other proceedings. At that time, criminal prosecution under section 406 of the IPC, charges under the Maharashtra Control of Organized Crimes Act, 1999 and the Public Gambling Act, 1867 were pending. It was on July 25, 2015 that the criminal court discharged him. Thereafter, he moved the BCCI for reconsideration of its decision based on the plea that he had now been discharged by the criminal court. But, the BCCI did not agree with the same and in its meeting held on October 18, 2015 and refused to review its earlier decision.

In January 2017, Sreesanth applied to the BCCI to be granted permission to play for the Glenrothes Cricket Club, Fife, Scotland and as no order was forthcoming, the writ petition was filed on or about February 28, 2017.

It would appear that Sreesanth had reconciled himself with the order of the BCCI banning him for life, which was about four years back. However, we have just noticed this fact to show that all the grievances that he is now trying to move this court, were very much there four years back. But, he had not chosen to move court.

—India Legal Bureau