Mudgal panel submits interim report

The Justice Mukul Mudgal panel, which is investigating allegations of fixing and corruption in IPL 2013, submitted an interim report to the Supreme Court of India on Friday. The next hearing of the case will take place on September 1.

The interim report was submitted following the court's instruction in May that the investigation around the IPL allegations be completed within two months. It is likely that the court hearing on September 1 could focus on the question of granting a possible extension to the probe committee based on any findings to date.

The report was submitted by Raju Ramachandran, the senior advocate of the Mudgal commission, before the bench of Justice MS Thakur, who, along with Justice Kalifulla, will hear the matter on Monday afternoon.

Aditya Verma, secretary of the Cricket Association of Bihar, who is the petitioner in the matter has said he is determined to thwart any effort by the BCCI to extend or postpone the Annual General Meeting and he will oppose the board's plea against an earlier order of the court that stops N Srinivasan from resuming as BCCI president.

The Mudgal committee, led by former High Court judge Mukul Mudgal, was set up by the Supreme Court in October last year to investigate the fixing allegations that arose during the IPL's 2013 season. It had submitted its findings in February this year in a report that included a sealed envelope - to be seen only by the judges - with the names of 13 people who, the committee said, should be further investigated.

In May this year, the court gave the panel greater powers to investigate the contents of the sealed envelope and the three-member committee was given the support of police officials and investigating officials. Former India captain, Sourav Ganguly, also joined the panel in June. The panel has been given the power to investigate, require attendance of witnesses, examine witnesses, search and seize and all other authority necessary for investigation except the power to arrest.

The case dates back to June 2013, when Verma raised charges of a conflict of interest in the BCCI's original two-member inquiry panel for the IPL corruption issue. A Bombay High Court ruling later termed the probe panel "illegal". The BCCI and the CAB filed petitions in the Supreme Court against this order, with the CAB contending that the Bombay High Court could have suggested a fresh mechanism to look into the corruption allegations.

The Supreme Court then appointed a three-member committee, headed by former High Court judge Mukul Mudgal and comprising additional solicitor general L Nageswara Rao and Nilay Dutta to conduct an independent inquiry into the allegations of corruption against Srinivasan's son-in-law Gurunath Meiyappan, India Cements, and Rajasthan Royals team owner Jaipur IPL Cricket Private Ltd, as well as with the larger mandate of allegations around betting and spot-fixing in IPL matches and the involvement of players.