In a huge relief for the former India cricketer and Bigg Boss contestant S Sreesanth, the Supreme Court on Friday set aside the life ban imposed on him for being involved in spot fixing during 2013 edition of the Indian Premier League. A Supreme Court Bench, headed by Justice Ashok Bhushan, also asked the BCCI to decide afresh on the point of quantum of punishment given to the former India fast bowler.
The top court, according to Livelaw website, directed the disciplinary committee of the BCCI to take a decision on the quantum of punishment within three months from today. The court, however, did not alter the findings of guilt established by the disciplinary committee against Sreesanth.
The Supreme Court Bench, which also included Justice KM Joseph, had on 1 March reserved its order on the appeal against the Karala High Court order affirming the life ban imposed by the BCCI.
Interestingly, the Kerala High Court had first lifted the BCCI’s ban on Sreesanth in August 2017 but two months later, a division bench of the high court had restored the ban while hearing an appeal filed by the BCCI against the single-bench order.
Sreesanth has argued that the life ban was unfair accusing the Delhi Police to resort to torture to get his confessions in the spot fixing scandal. Representing Sreesanth, his lawyer Salman Khurshid had argued that ‘in the context of facts and manner in which these things have happened, this court should consider that it (life ban on Sreesanth by BCCI) is unfair.’
The Supreme Court made it clear its order will not impact the criminal proceedings currently pending against Sreesanth in the Delhi High Court.
Sreesanth had taken part in the last edition of the reality show Bigg Boss, where he courted several controversies because of his ill-temperament and often intimidating fellow contestants with violence.