25 March 2024 last updated at 19:12 GMT
 
12 players named in secret report
Thursday 03 April 2014

The confidential report on suspected corruption in the IPL submitted to the Supreme Court by the Mudgal panel is believed to contain “unverified” allegations against 12 or 13 players, and not just six as believed.

These dozen or so players belong to Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals, whose owners are already being investigated in the corruption scandal, and three other teams. This implies that the cloud of betting and match-fixing hangs over players from five of the eight teams in the T20 tournament.

Delhi Police investigators had also hinted on the same lines when they launched a probe into the betting scandal.

The three-member panel, headed by retired Punjab and Haryana HC chief justice Mukul Mudgal, categorised the allegations made by witnesses it examined as “unverified”, and submitted them to the court in a sealed cover.

Besides the dozen-odd players from three teams, the confidential report has also listed allegations against at least three IPL office bearers, it is learnt. “These are top office-bearers who have been closely involved in the organisation of the IPL for several years,” said a source familiar with the allegations in the report.

The report is also believed to contain allegations — based on recorded testimonies of witnesses — against owners of teams other than CSK and RR.

The sources, however, pointed out that the Mudgal panel has been cautious, and informed the apex court that the names in the list and the allegations against them have not been substantiated. The report was submitted in confidence to ensure that names of players, IPL officials and team owners did not get sullied before an investigation.

In its 84-page main report submitted to the court in February, the panel made no mention of the confidential annexure but reiterated that since the match-fixing and betting allegations have a “ring of truth’’, an independent investigating team should be constituted to probe specific allegations.

It indicated that officials from agencies such as the Enforcement Directorate, the Income Tax department and the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence could be members of such a team.

The panel, which also had additional solicitor general L Nageswara Rao and senior advocate Nilay Dutta as members, was set up in October 2013 to probe allegations of conflict of interest, betting and match-fixing made against the owners of CSK and RR as well as inquire into the bigger picture of betting and spot-fixing in IPL matches.

The panel had also said that names of other national and international IPL players came up during their investigation and this had not been probed by any agency. The panel said it could not launch a probe due to a “paucity of time”.

The Supreme Court is due to resume hearing the case on April 17, the day IPL-7 is scheduled to begin.

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