Can BCCI administrator own stake in IPL, SC gives split order - ESPN

New Delhi, Apr 28 (ROUTERS) A two-judge bench of the Supreme Court today differed on whether an Indian cricket board administrator can hold stake in an IPL team and the issue would now be decided by a larger bench. The split verdict came on a petition of former BCCI president A C Muthiah challenging the amendment in BCCI regulation to exclude IPL and T-20 tournaments from its purview which he alleged was done to favour the cricket board's secretary N Srinivasan who owns the T-20 franchise Chennai Super Kings. With the division bench comprising justices J M Panchal and Gyan Sudha Mishra giving the split verdict, the petition has been referred to the chief justice for allocating it to a larger bench. While Justice Panchal dismissed the petition filed by Muthiah challenging the validity of the amendment in clause 6.2.4, Justice Mishra allowed the petition holding that a BCCI officer bearer cannot have stake in the IPL team. Justice Panchal said the petitioner failed to prove there was a "conflict of interest" in case an administrator holds a stake in the IPL team and dismissed his petition. "The appellant(Muthiah) has claimed that there is factual and palpable conflict of interest but he could not explain to the court as to what was the factual conflict of interest and how BCCI was put to financial loss because of participation by Srinivasan in bidding process for the IPL team," he said. Justice Mishra, on the other hand, held there is a "strong" prima facie case that the amendment was introduced with an oblique motive to benefit Srinivasan and said he cannot hold the post in BCCI while owing the IPL team.