BCCI proposes panel to probe IPL scandal

NEW DELHI,(AFP) - The Indian cricket board yesterday decided to recommend to the Supreme Court a three-man panel to probe a spot-fixing scandal that hit the Indian Premier League, an official said.

The Supreme Court had last week asked the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to provide details of how it planned to conduct a fresh probe into the scandal, or face investigation by a court-appointed tribunal.

BCCI secretary Sanjay Patel declined to reveal the names in the proposed panel, saying they will be handed to the court at the next hearing on Tuesday.

But the Press Trust of India and TV channels said the panel will comprise former captain and commentator Ravi Shastri, Jai Narain Patel, an ex- chief justice of the Kolkata Hight Court, and R.K. Raghavan, who earlier headed the federal Central Bureau of Investigation.

Lawyers for the BCCI will put forward the three names on Tuesday, hoping the court will accept the proposal to prevent an outside agency from interfering in the case.

The apex court had last week rejected N. Srinivasan's plea to reinstate him as BCCI chief, saying he had effectively turned a blind eye to allegations of wrongdoing in the IPL.

The court said Srinivasan -- who is due to take over as chairman of the International Cricket Council in July -- was among 13 people listed in a damning report by a previous court-appointed panel.

The court did not disclose the other names, saying allegations against the 13 were unsubstantiated and needed to be probed further.

The court last month ordered Srinivasan to stand aside, installing batting Indian great Sunil Gavaskar as interim BCCI head, charged with overseeing the ongoing IPL Twenty20 tournament.

The court said Srinivasan's presence as BCCI head would prevent a fair investigation into the allegations.