Feature
Srinivasan should’ve refrained from functioning as BCCI chief: SC
New Delhi: The Supreme Court Monday said sidelined BCCI president N. Srinivasan should have refrained from functioning as the cricket board chief after the apex court had declared that he was in a conflict of interest situation and could not contest elections.
Referring to its Jan 2 verdict which held that Srinivasan, head of Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the owner of Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Chennai Super Kings, was in a conflict of interest situation, the apex court bench of Justice T.S. Thakur and Justice Fakkir Mohamed Ibrahim Kalifulla said: “Having said that it makes him very vulnerable. We are not very happy about it.
“Where was the need for him to preside over (the working committee meeting). We are not very happy about it,” the court said, adding: “So long there is a judgment holding him in conflict of interest, we feel when you know you are vulnerable, how can you ignore the fact that when you can’t contest election, how can you continue to hold the position (of BCCI president).”
“If you can’t even be a candidate, can you hold the post,” Justice Thakur asked senior counsel Kapil Sibal, who appeared for Srinivasan.
The court’s unambiguous observation, disapproving of Srinivasan presiding over the meeting, came as Sibal sought to reason that Srinivasan did not act in violation of the court’s order and his understanding of the Jan 2 verdict was that he was only barred from contesting elections and could discharge functions as BCCI head till new office bearers are elected.
Sibal said there was no contempt as there was no wilful violation of the court’s order. Having said that, there was no cover-up by Srinivasan and giving him the benefit of doubt, the court said: “We found that certainly he was in conflict of interest and this makes him very vulnerable. We don’t want to sound that we are against somebody. He must have realised.
“These things don’t go beyond a point, once there is an announcement of the court,” the court said as Sibal tried to impress upon the court that “legally his (Srinivasan) position is vulnerable but within the BCCI there is an enormous confidence in him.”
“With people like you advising him, people must have realised the implication of our order,” Justice Thakur told senior counsel Kapil Sibal apparently pointing that people could not be that naive.
Appearing for the Cricket Association of Bihar (CAB) which has moved the contempt petition, senior counsel Nalini Chidambram told the court that the interpretation of the Jan 2 judgment that is sought to be placed before it by the Srinivasan was a narrow one.
“Judgment can’t be taken into narrow sense… that he (Srinivasan) stands disqualified to contest but can continue as president of the cricketing body,” Chidambram told the court slamming the interpretation of the judgment sought to be projected before the court and added that “we have to understand the scope of the judgment”.
The State Scores Extra High on Gaming-Friendly Industry Index
Meghalaya scored 92.85 out of 100 possible points in a Gaming Industry Index and proved to be India’s most gaming-friendly state following its recent profound legislation changes over the field allowing land-based and online gaming, including games of chance, under a licensing regime.
The index by the UK India Business Council (UKIBC) uses a scale of 0 to 100 to measure the level of legalisation on gambling and betting achieved by a state based on the scores over a set of seven different games – lottery, horse racing, betting on sports, poker, rummy, casino and fantasy sports
Starting from February last year, Meghalaya became the third state in India’s northeast to legalise gambling and betting after Sikkim and Nagaland. After consultations with the UKIBC, the state proceeded with the adoption of the Meghalaya Regulation of Gaming Act, 2021 and the nullification of the Meghalaya Prevention of Gambling Act, 1970. Subsequently in December, the Meghalaya Regulation of Gaming Rules, 2021 were notified and came into force.
All for the Tourists
The move to legalise and license various forms of offline and online betting and gambling in Meghalaya is aimed at boosting tourism and creating jobs, and altogether raising taxation revenues for the northeastern state. At the same time, the opportunities to bet and gamble legally will be reserved only for tourists and visitors.
“We came out with a Gaming Act and subsequently framed the Regulation of Gaming Rules, 2021. The government will accordingly issue licenses to operate games of skill and chance, both online and offline,” said James P. K. Sangma, Meghalaya State Law and Taxation Minister speaking in the capital city of Shillong. “But the legalized gambling and gaming will only be for tourists and not residents of Meghalaya,” he continued.
To be allowed to play, tourists and people visiting the state for work or business purposes will have to prove their non-resident status by presenting appropriate documents, in a process similar to a bank KYC (Know Your Customer) procedure.
Meghalaya Reaches Out to a Vast Market
With 140 millions of people in India estimated to bet regularly on sports, and a total of 370 million desi bettors around prominent sporting events, as per data from one of the latest reports by Esse N Videri, Meghalaya is set to reach out and take a piece of a vast market.
Estimates on the financial value of India’s sports betting market, combined across all types of offline channels and online sports and cricket predictions and betting platforms, speak about amounts between $130 and $150 billion (roughly between ₹9.7 and ₹11.5 lakh crore).
Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Delhi are shown to deliver the highest number of bettors and Meghalaya can count on substantial tourists flow from their betting circles. The sports betting communities of Karnataka, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana are also not to be underestimated.
Among the sports, cricket is most popular, registering 68 percent of the total bet count analyzed by Esse N Videri. Football takes second position with 11 percent of the bets, followed by betting on FIFA at 7 percent and on eCricket at 5 percent. The last position in the Top 5 of popular sports for betting in India is taken by tennis with 3 percent of the bet count.
Local Citizens will Still have Their Teer Betting
Meghalaya residents will still be permitted to participate in teer betting over arrow-shooting results. Teer is a traditional method of gambling, somewhat similar to a lottery draw, and held under the rules of the Meghalaya Regulation of the Game of Arrow Shooting and the Sale of Teer Tickets Act, 2018.
Teer includes bettors wagering on the number of arrows that reach the target which is placed about 50 meters away from a team of 20 archers positioned in a semicircle.
The archers shoot volleys of arrows at the target for ten minutes, and players place their bets choosing a number between 0 and 99 trying to guess the last two digits of the number of arrows that successfully pierce the target.
If, for example, the number of hits is 256, anyone who has bet on 56 wins an amount eight times bigger than their wager.
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