Calling the Lodha Committee report a ‘grave miscarriage of justice’, the Chennai Super Kings has asked the Madras high court to stay and quash the committee’s order suspending the team from IPL for next two years.
The Supreme Court appointed Lodha committee had suspended the Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals franchisees for two years after Justice Mudgal committee found Gurunath Meiyappan and Raj Kundra guilty of betting.
Chennai Super Kings has contended in court that the Justice Lodha committee was only asked determine the quantum of punishment for franchisees and not base it on Justice Mudgal’s findings.
The petition said that Lodha Committee’s decision to impose life ban on Gurunath Meiyappan would not do any damage to him, as he was not associated with cricket in anyway. Instead, the team, support and administrative staff were being punished.
“The worst punishment has been meted out to thousands of CSK fans who form a vast majority of cricket lovers,“ said the petition.
CSK has called the entire order against principles of natural justice and fair hearing.
The team has also questioned why it has been banned on the basis of the relationship between Gurunath Meiyappan and N Srinivasan.
"The perversity in the order arises from the focus given to Meiyappan's relationship with N Srinivasan…. Gurunath Meiyappan had been (found) guilty of betting but not spot-fixing, match-fixing or misuse of inside information...Meiyappaan never had shares in India Cements nor was he is in the management of the company."