On 14th July, 2015, a three-member Supreme Court-appointed panel headed by retired Chief justice R.M. Lodha decided to suspend Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals for two years, while also handing out life bans to Gurunath Meiyappan (team principal of CSK) and Raj Kundra (co-owner of RR) for indulging in betting and bringing disrepute to the game. The decision, however, does little to lift the sport of cricket out of the filth that it’s been mired in for long.
What began on May 16, 2013 with the arrest of three Rajasthan Royals players, lead to a revelation of a vast nexus of bookies, underground criminals and players – all involved in raking in the moolah at the expense of the now sullied “gentleman’s game”. More than two years down the line, it is pitiable to note that the nexus still remains untouched while only the fringe elements of the fiasco have been sacrificed at the altar of justice.
The IPL scandal is not just a case of a commercial arm of the BCCI turning rogue; it’s also about the ethics in the game of cricket, the gullibility of players, and the worrisome involvement of criminals and anti-state elements who pose a risk to India’s internal security. This was aptly highlighted by the Mudgal Committee report that published its findings in 2014.
The Mudgal Committee report raised some damning questions in its report while highlighting the high-handedness with which the case was handled by the investigating authorities. Right at the outset, the report states that “the issues also throw light for the need of a thorough professional approach on the part of the investigative agencies to these disturbing linkages which evidently indicate a serious threat to national security”.
In fact, the Mudgal committee devotes an entire chapter in its report (Chapter 2, pg. 49) on the role of the underworld and the shoddy work on the part of the police in bringing the perpetrators to book. Let’s examine some of the irregularities highlighted by the panel :
INVOLVEMENT OF THE UNDERWORLD, BOOKIES AND PLAYERS :
The report states, “investigations by the Delhi Police have revealed that the illegal cricket betting crime syndicate is being headed by Dawood Ibrahim Kaskar, who is a known declared terrorist, based abroad” and further explains the syndicate- “this organised crime syndicate, besides controlling illegal betting was indulging in fixing performances of players (emphasis added) and also the rates of betting.”
The question that arises is that if there was a widespread syndicate uncovered by the Delhi police, why are the current investigations only targeting Gurunath Meiyappan, Raj Kundra and three other cricketers? It this much-hyped trial just to placate the common people by completely ignoring the underlying rot?
To understand the lax attitude of the investigating authorities in pursuing the so called “stars” of the Indian cricket team, one doesn’t need to look further than the deposition provided the by the Delhi police before the panel, which stated that “they were aware that conversations between certain bookies had disclosed contact of bookies with two former star Indian players, but did not take the information forward as they thought that the bookies were generally in the habit of boasting.”
Even the Mumbai police unearthed some evidence that suggested the involvement of many international and national cricket players in the betting scheme. The Mumbai police too decided against pursuing the links because they concluded that the evidence was not corroborative and that the bookies could be boasting. The panel expressed its surprise while remarking that “the approach of the Mumbai police appears very curious and more so keeping in mind the abrupt voluntary statement of the Mumbai Police before the Committee that their focus in the said investigation was Gurunath Meiyappan.” Further, the police completely refused to investigate the links of Dawood Ibrahim and Chhota Shakeel who are said to be the king-pins of the entire racket. This further gives credence to the idea that the entire investigation is a farce meant to implicate only certain individuals while protecting the more dangerous and influential names.
While there is another debate about whether or not gambling should be made legal in India, one cannot ignore the fact that in the process of protecting the players and the league, the BCCI and the investigating authorities are paying no heed to money being pumped into India by underworld dons, who in all certainty have sourced their money from illegal activities and by evading the income-tax authorities while themselves being a risk to the security of the nation. Of course, the SIT headed by MB Shah, in its latest report has recommended curbing black money poured in through the IPL but the question is whether the authorities have the will to implement the suggestions?
In the Indian scenario, where many ministers are a part of cricket committees, where authorities have ample evidence but refuse to consider them, where prosecution occurs but only of a select few to pander to the media, the stench may be overpowering but we may choose to placate ourselves with a show where a few heads roll but the syndicate lords reign supreme.
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