'I am going to contest the elections' - Srinivasan

BCCI president N Srinivasan has announced his intention to contest the board elections at the annual general meeting on September 29, hours after the Supreme Court gave a conditional approval to his candidature.

"Nobody has stopped me from contesting elections and attending the AGM. Before taking my comments, kindly go through the observations made by the honourable Supreme Court," Srinivasan told PTI. "It states clearly that I have not been stopped from attending the AGM and I am also going to contest the election. Why shall I not contest the elections?"

The Supreme Court had allowed Srinivasan to contest the elections but said that if he were to win, he would not be allowed to take charge as president so long as it was hearing the case related to him and the board. The ruling came on a petition filed by the Cricket Association of Bihar (CAB) seeking to restrain Srinivasan from running for re-election pending the verdict on a petition filed in July. The court is expected to hear the matter again on Monday, a day after the BCCI election.

Srinivasan had in June handed over charge of the daily running of the board to Jagmohan Dalmiya, but was looking at Sunday's election as a way of legitimising his presidency. The CAB petition had challenged the Bombay High Court's order on the BCCI's inquiry committee that investigated corruption in the IPL, on the grounds that it had failed to appoint a fresh panel despite finding the original one to be constituted illegally. The Bombay High Court order too had come on a petition filed by the CAB questioning the constitution of the two-man committee to probe corruption allegations against the owners of Rajasthan Royals and Chennai Super Kings.

Aditya Verma, the CAB's secretary, had accused Srinivasan of utilising his position as the BCCI president to influence the setting up of the probe panel, which was formed to investigate his company India Cements - the owner of Super Kings - and his son-in-law and Super Kings official Gurunath Meiyappan, who was arrested and subsequently charged with illegal betting. The High Court concluded that there was "a degree of probability" of Srinivasan playing a role in setting up the inquiry panel.