S Sreesanth’s lifetime ban now reduced to seven years by BCCI
The lifetime-ban that had been imposed on S Sreesanth for spot-fixing has now been reduced to seven years by the BCCI’s ombudsman and he will be allowed to return to the game in September of next year. The suspension was ordered in 2013 after he was accused of withholding information from the Board.
In an order passed by BCCI Ombudsman and Ethics officer DK Jain dated August the seventh, pace bowler S Sreesanth’s lifetime ban has been cut down to a suspension of seven years. The decision was made as a consequence of the Supreme Court’s statement a few months ago, in which the apex-court had asked the BCCI to revise the punishment handed to Sreesanth while doing away with the lifetime ban.
The Ombudsman has stated that Sreesanth’s time as a pace bowler on the top of his game "may already be over" and justice would have been served if the 36-year-old is allowed to make a comeback to cricket next year. Sreesanth had last represented the Men in Blue eight years ago, while his final appearance in the IPL came in 2013.
"... I am of the view that banning Mr. Sreesanth from participating in any kind of commercial Cricket or from associating with any activities of the BCCI or its affiliates, for a period of seven years with effect from 13.09.2013, i.e. the date from which, the period of ban imposed by the Disciplinary Committee had commenced, will meet the ends of justice," Jain said in the order.
In March, the Board had stated that it felt that the ban was “fully sustainable in law,” but the two-member bench comprising of Justices Ashoka Bhushan and KM Joseph has ruled in the contrary after hearing Sreesanth’s stance.
"Life ban given to Mohammed Azharuddin (former India captain) was overturned. Pakistan's Salim Malik got a life ban but it was overturned. Hansie Cronje was given life ban but he died in a plane crash when proceedings were not closed. If at all he is guilty of anything, it is for failure to disclose about fixing, etc, despite having knowledge. That will make him guilty only of the least punishable offence. There is nothing on record to warrant a lifetime ban," the cricketer’s lawyer Salman Khurshid had argued.
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