Supreme Court on Friday decided not to initiate contempt of court proceedings against BCCI’s president-in-exile N Srinivasan after he tendered an “unconditional apology” for chairing a meeting of the cricketing body on February 8.

Srinivasan’s counsel Kapil Sibal also made it clear to a bench led by Justice T S Thakur that he would not be running for any post in the upcoming BCCI election, scheduled for March 2. While closing the proceedings on contempt petition against him, the bench also allowed Srinivasan to cast a vote as a nominee of the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA) in the election.

It recorded an undertaking by Srinivasan that he never intended to disobey the orders of the court by presiding over the meeting on February 8 and that he would stay away from the decision-making in future. Sibal said that it was “bonafide mistake” on Srinivasan’s part and that he would not preside over the March 2 Annual General Meeting or any other such meetings till the time the court’s January 22 judgement prevents him from participating in any decision making meetings.

The bench held: “Srinivasan has realised that his act of presiding over the working committee meeting of February 8 was not well advised and in no way his intention was to defy the court orders. In our opinion since Srinivasan has at the earliest opportunity and unreservedly tendered unconditional apology, we are inclined to close the proceeding.”

The contempt plea was filed by the Cricket Association of Bihar, claiming Srinivasan breached direction of the court asking him to keep away from the affairs of the BCCI till he had a conflict of interest due to his stakes in the Chennai Super Kings.

The court had said that the conflict of interest has arisen between what is Srinivasan’s duty as BCCI President on the one hand and his interest as father-in-law of Gurunath Meiyappan and owner of IPL team Chennai Super Kings on the other. The CAB contended that Srinivasan continued to have commercial interest in the IPL matches of BCCI and hence he was disqualified from holding the post of BCCI President and President of TNCA.

CSK appeal to IPL GC

CHENNAI: Troubled IPL franchises Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Rajasthan Royals (RR) co-owner Raj Kundra have made their respective appeals to the Governing Council ahead of the eighth edition of the cash rich league.

“The IPL Governing Council today received a letter from CSK which states that they would cease to exist under India Cements banner and would now go under a trust,” an IPL governing council member told PTI today. The Governing Council also got a proposal from controversial RR co-owner Raj Kundra who has appealed to the council to allow him transfer his shares in the franchise and completely dissociate himself from the league. (pti)