Court on cricket

January 24, 2015 01:03 am | Updated 01:03 am IST

As a layman, I am astonished by the judgment (“BCCI or CSK, choose one: SC,” Jan.23). First of all, except for finding two individuals guilty, nothing else has been mentioned in the judgment about fixing and betting, though it all started with the issues of betting and fixing. The court focussed more on the issue of “conflict of interest”. As everyone knows, the sports administration in India is run by a bunch of politicians and corporate bigwigs, and not by the true enthusiasts and followers of the game. Given the fact that the cricket administration is largely run by lawmakers and corporate owners, how is it that all of them missed the point that there is a “conflict of interest” in owning an IPL team and also holding on to the position of the presidentship of the BCCI? On top of this, one is astonished to see that the court has asked that the person concerned choose between the IPL and the BCCI.

T.R. Madhavan,Chennai

The Supreme Court’s salutary prescriptions to the BCCI are only in the nature of ad hoc correctives for its recent waywardness and the ills flowing therefrom. Although the Court, to justify its intervention, has recorded that the BCCI inter alia discharges public functions; that the public interest is involved; that the game’s interests are superior to those of individuals; that the IPL cannot be regarded as a purely commercial entertainment affair, and that institutional integrity must be preserved, it has also held that the BCCI did not come under the definition of ‘state’ under Article 12 of the Constitution and is not a public body. It has been left unclear what the limits to the BCCI’s ‘private’ independence and ‘public’ accountability are. It would have been better to codify these matters for incorporation into the BCCI’s constitution.

A.N. Lakshmanan,Bengaluru

The most anticipated of verdicts sends out a strong message to the powerful body of Indian cricket. A parliamentary type election format can be adopted, which will end the monopoly of certain office-bearers. Another solution could be to bring the BCCI under the Sports Ministry. No individual is above the game and every possible step should be taken to revive the game’s lost glory. After all, every cricket-lover wants a free and fair game.

R. Vinod,Chennai

Why not ban IPL at least for a few years? IPL has done more harm than good. Lots of money is being pumped in by the franchise-owners. The greats of the game have been silenced. What real good has IPL done to Indian cricket? It is loud, unrealistic and ugly entertainment. A previously struggling foreign player said he could live a dream life after the advent of IPL.

India, as no other nation, generates a significant amount of cricketing revenue, yet the country has pathetic ground and playing conditions. Where and how is the revenue generated accounted for? In IPL, the auctioning at times takes greater significance and precedence over the selection of the Indian team for overseas tours and events such as the World Cup. Even if the two teams, CSK and Rajasthan Royals, are banned, they can take root through other names.

Balasubramaniam Pavani,Secunderabad

The game of cricket has been reduced to a “businessmen’s game”. In short, the lakhs who leave everything aside to watch the game of cricket, which is almost a religion in India, now feel thoroughly cheated. What they were watching with great fervour and excitement has turned out to be stage-managed shows. The only way the game can be revived is for gentlemen cricketers to disassociate themselves from the stage-managed cricket circus. Further, the performances, records and so on of the participants in the cricketing circus should not be recognised by the cricketing boards. Now that those who have been defaming the gentleman’s game have been identified, the law should take its own slow but sure course.

M.V. Nahusharaj,Bengaluru

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