The Supreme Court on Monday sought the BCCI's response on a plea by former cricketer S Sreesanth challenging a lifetime ban on him by the apex cricketing body in the wake of an alleged spot fixing scandal.
Issuing the notice, a bench of Chief Justice Dipak Misra, Justice AM Khanwilkar and Justice DY Chandrachud gave the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) four weeks to respond.
It also gave Sreesanth another four weeks to file his rejoinder to the response by the BCCI.
Senior counsel Parag Tripathi accepted the notice on behalf of the BCCI.
Senior counsel Salman Khurshid appearing for Sreesanth said that banning him was bad and banning for life was not justified after he has been discharged by a trial court of criminal charges over lack of evidence.
Earlier on October 20, 2017, Sreesanth had said that he was contemplating playing for a different country, after a two-judge bench of the Kerala High Court reinstated the life ban on him for a spot-fixing incident during 2013 IPL.
“I have been banned by the BCCI but not by the ICC (International Cricket Council). If not for India, I would like to play for another country as I am 34 years old now and I can go on only for another six years. For someone who loves cricket, I just want to play,” Asianet quoted Sreesanth.
He added, “BCCI is a private firm. It is only us who say that this is the Indian team, but you know BCCI is a private body after all. So, if I play for any other country, it probably may be the same.”
In August 2017, the lifetime ban on Sreesanth had been lifted by a single bench of the Kerala HC. However, on October 17, the High Court’s divisional bench quashed the HC order that lifted the lifetime ban.
(With IANS inputs)