Make ‘sealed envelope’ with 13 names public, says S Sreesanth

After the Kerala High Court upheld BCCI’s life ban on him, former India speedster S Sreesanth asked,“Why has he been singled out and all those 13 names submitted to Supreme Court in a sealed envelope are not been made public”.

The 34-year-old was banned by the Board of Control for Cricket in India for his alleged involvement in the 2013 Indian Premier League spot-fixing scandal.

In his series of tweets after the HC division bench of Chief Justice Navniti Prasad Singh’s verdict on Tuesday, Sreesanth even dragged his former IPL team Rajasthan Royals and MS Dhoni-led Chennai Super Kings asking “who are the real culprits”?

“And what about the accused 13 names in Lodha report? No one wants to know about it? I will keep fighting for my right,” tweeted Sreesanth.

DNA has been reporting how Justice Mukul Mudgal-led committee came close to cracking the case in 2015. The only names that did officially emerge from the envelope was that of former BCCI president N Srinivasan and IPL COO Sundar Raman, Rajasthan Royals co-owner Raj Kundra and CSK Team principal Gurunath Meiyappan. 

In August 2015, the Supreme Court had given the Lodha Committee the power to examine the names in the envelope. But apart from clearing the name of Raman, the matter was never discussed inside the Court room despite being the topic of great discussion outside amongst the cricket fans.

“What can BCCI do about it?” asked a senior BCCI official on condition of anonymity after the Sreesanth’s tweets. “We were never given these names. This sealed envelop is with the highest court and if the Hon’ble court wants it to be investigated then BCCI has no objection,” added the officials.

Incidentally, the official shared a conversation between the investigation team, led by BB Misra (former IPS officer) and him during the course of investigation.

“I was asked about my opinion on Sreesanth’s involvement by the investigation team. And I told them in simple and plain words that ‘no player can do it on his own without the involvement of the team’s captain’,” the BCCI official said.

“Can a player on his own bowl a particular over?” asked the official, adding: “The investigators were convinced that Sreesanth was only a small fish in the entire scandal and there was a need to probe the role of many more.”
The sources close to Sreesanth have told DNA that he has been advised by the Kerala Cricket Association to appeal in the Supreme Court. 

KCA secretary Jayesh George said the KCA was supporting Sreesanth ever since the ban was lifted.“We had made arrangements for him to undergo a full fitness test so as to make him match fit. Now with this verdict, we will now have to respect it,” he said. 

The Kerala HC ruled that the court cannot conduct a judicial review on the life ban imposed by the BCCI and hence upheld the appeal.

The court heard the appeal petition for the past two days and delivered its verdict, which has now for the time being ended his hopes of not just playing for Kerala Ranji side in its upcoming matches but also to take part in practise sessions at any place that comes under the Board or any state cricket association.

In 2015, the BCCI Disciplinary Committee headed by the present Union minister Arun Jaitley slapped a life ban on Sreesanth.