IPL Spot-fixing: SC says no ban on IPL, raps BCCI for irregularities

The Supreme Court today refused to ban the remaining four Indian Premier League matches andA dismissed a petition which was filed after the cash-rich tournament was beleaguered in the spot-fixing scandal. The court however has asked the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to ensure thatA "cricket should remain a gentleman's game." Even though the court said it cannot ban the IPL, it has asked the BCCI to setup a one-man commission to investigate into the allegations of spot fixing or manipulating a certain portion of a match. The court has given the BCCI two weeks time to submit the report and has asked the board to take action against those found guilty. Slamming the BCCI, 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." It also added that it was the duty of the cricket board to act against errant players or teams in case of a controversy. The public interest litigation was filed on Monday by social activist Sudarsh Awasti, who also sought that the court order a Special Investigation Team (SIT) probe into the scam. So far, 18 people have been arrested for alleged spot-fixing in the latest edition of the IPL. A Prominent among them are Rajasthan Royals players S Sreesanth, Ajit Chandila and Ankeet Chavan. All of them have been suspended by the franchise pending an enquiry.