da dobrowin： The arguments presented by Gurunath Meiyappan’s legal team asking for leniency, which were not accepted by the Supreme Court
da dobrowin： ESPNcricinfo staff14-Jul-2015The Lodha committee was tasked with fixing the sanctions on Gurunath Meiyappan, Raj Kundra, Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals. Here’s the case made to the committee for a reduced punishment by Raj Kundra’s advocate Kavin Gulati, and the committee’s responses.ESPNcricinfo Ltd
No.ArgumentsCounter arguements by the Lodha Panel1He has been accused or found guilty of misconduct under BCCI Rules/Regulations/Code for the first timeIt is the first time but his very first misconduct has affected the image of the BCCI, IPL and the game of cricket and brought disrepute to each one of them2The only misconduct against him is of betting and there is no allegation relating to match fixing or influencing the outcome of gamesIt is not true that there was no allegation of match fixing. In the Mudgal Committee’s first report dated 9 February 2014 observations of betting and match fixing were made against Raj Kundra and his wife which required further investigation
3The alleged offence is an individual action and not in any manner concerned with his status as a co-ownerWhen a part owner (team official) indulges in corrupt practices, unsavoury individuals and bad elements become bold enough to involve vulnerable elements including players in all sorts of corruption. It is no secret that some of the players of Rajasthan Royals, of which he was a team official, were found enmeshed in a web of match fixing4He has cooperated with the Mudgal Committee as well as the police investigation teamThis fact is not borne out of the record. In fact, the Rajasthan police’s investigation against him was stopped abruptly after receiving case papers from the Delhi police with no discernible reason as to why investigation into such a serious crime was not taken to it logical conclusion5He being a UK citizen believed betting to be legal in India and he was only placing petty bets – worth around 1 lakh rupees – with friends Being a UK citizen, he had heavy responsibility on him to ensure that his actions were not in conflict with the laws of a foreign country. With so much information available online it is difficult to accept that as a UK citizen he believed betting to be legal in India6The Mudgal Committee recorded that the ‘known punter’ with whom he allegedly placed bets were his friends The Mudgal Committee found that Raj Kundra had been placing bets through a known punter and also introduced that punter to another bookie. He was constantly in touch with bookies and not reporting his contacts with them 7He is of relatively young age – still only in his late 30s. At the time of the alleged betting, he was in his mid 30sHe is a middle-aged man who is well educated and well informed. If he had true love for the game, he would not have indulged in the corrupt practice of betting8He has already undergone two years of suspensionThe period of suspension already undergone is hardly a mitigating factor
Gurunath MeiyappanHaving rejected all the arguments presented by Raj Kundra’s lawyers, the Lodha Panel imposed the following sanctions on Kundra:(i) He is declared ineligible from participation in the sport of cricket as explained in the Anti Corruption Code for the maximum period of 5 years under Article 2.2.1.(ii) He is suspended for life from the activities as explained in Article 7.5 under Level 4 (first offence) of Article 2.4 of the Code of conduct.(iii) He is suspended for life from being involved with the BCCI in any type of cricket matches under Section 6, rule 4.2(b) read with (j) of the Operational Rules.The above sanctions shall run concurrently and commence from the date of this order.
