MUMBAI: A PIL was filed today in the Madras high court bench seeking to direct the government to take over the management and administration of the Indian Premier League (IPL) and Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) as it had failed to promote the game.

The PIL has alleged that the conduct of certain activities and receipt of income were totally commercial and there was no element of charity in the conduct of the BCCI. The court has sent a notice to the central government, IPL chairman Rajeev Shukla and BCCI president N Srinivasan. They have been asked to respond within two weeks.
 
In his petition, city-based lawyer V Santhakumaresan alleged that conduct of certain activities and receipt of income were totally commercial and there was no element of charity in the conduct of BCCI.

The surplus generated by BCCI was shared with players instead of being used for promoting the game claims the PIL.
 
The court should direct CBI to conduct investigation into the entire affairs relating to sources of income, financial status, betting, and match fixing, lawyer V Santhakumaresan who filed the PIL said. In addition the BCCI should desist from using the name ?Indian cricket team? for its team till disposal of the petition.

MUMBAI: Today the supreme court rejected a public interest litigation (PIL) to stay the IPL playoff matches until the completion of investigations of the alleged spot-fixing in the tournament. It has, however, given the BCCI a 15-day deadline to conclude its investigation, which is being carried out by cricket?s richest body?s anti-corruption unit head Ravi Sawani.

The supreme court also slammed the BCCI, saying that the spot fixing incidents had taken place due to its lackadaisical approach in reining in the erring players.

An apex court bench of justices B.S. Chauhan and Dipak Misra said that it was incumbent upon the BCCI to maintain and sustain the reputation of the 125-year-old game. The court said, "Definitely there is some kind of irregularity. But the biggest problem is the lackadaisical attitude of the BCCI. It should stop. There has to be some scientific dispassionate and impartial approach to solve these problems."

In its ruling, the court observed that cricket was a gentleman?s game and it should remain as gentleman?s, not tainted, at the same time though it also said that it was not a case for the court to ?interfere and ban matches?.

Social activist Sudarsh Awasti had filed the PIL. He had also sought that the court orders a special investigation team (SIT) probe into the scam.