Mumbai: The Supreme Court-appointed panel headed by former Chief Justice of India RM Lodha pronounced the big verdict the cricket world was waiting for. Indian Premier League teams, Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals are suspended from the lucrative league for a period of two years while team officials Gurunath Meiyappan and Raj Kundra, co-owners have been banned for life from any cricket activity.
We look back at the most important events in the IPL 2013 spot-fixing scandal - from the arrests of the three Rajasthan Royals players (S Sreesanth, Ankeet Chavan and Ajit Chandila) to the apex court’s intervention following the BCCI's controversial investigation into the matter.
What started as a probe into the involvement of IPL franchise owners in the scandal has also had far-reaching effects on the BCCI, with the courts stepping into censure the board over conflict of interest issues.
May 16, 2013:
S Sreesanth, Ankeet Chavan and Ajit Chandila are arrested by Delhi Police on charges of fraud and cheating, for the alleged fulfilment of promises made to bookies. Eleven bookies are also arrested. BCCI suspends all the three players but later they are released on bail.
May 21:
Bollywood actor Vindoo Dara Singh was arrested in the spot-fixing scandal but claimed he is innocent and will get a clean chit soon. Vindoo is one of the accused in the Indian Premier League (IPL) betting and spot-fixing scandal and from the recent verdict, it is clear that both him and IPL COO Sundar Raman knew each other.
May 23:
The Mumbai Police summons Gurunath Meiyappan, who is also the son-in-law of former BCCI president N Srinivasan, for questioning in connection with betting in the IPL. He is arrested on May 24 on charges of cheating, fraud and forgery.
May 25:
Former BCCI chief N Srinivasan says the board will treat the case against Gurunath "objectively and fairly". India Cements, owner of CSK distanced the issue from Gurunath stating he is "neither the owner, nor CEO /Team Principal of Chennai Super Kings."
May 28:
The IPL governing council appoints a three-member probe panel, including two former High Court judges, to look into complaints against India Cements, Gurunath and Jaipur IPL Pvt Ltd, the owners of Rajasthan Royals.
June 6:
Delhi's police commissioner Neeraj Kumar says that Rajasthan Royals co-owner Raj Kundra had confessed to betting on IPL matches, including those involving his team. The BCCI then suspends Kundra pending inquiry.
July 28:
BCCI's two-member panel appointed to look into the involvement of the owners of two IPL franchises in the scandal finds "no evidence of any wrongdoing" by Kundra and Gurunath.
July 30:
Following a PIL by the Cricket Association of Bihar, the Bombay High Court states that BCCI's probe panel was constituted illegally, and says there was disparity in the evidence collected by the panel.
August 30:
The apex court of India issues notices to Srinivasan, BCCI, India Cements and Rajasthan Royals on an appeal challenging the Bombay High Court order's for not appointing a fresh probe panel.
September 9:
Ajit Chandila granted bail by a Delhi court.
September 13:
BCCI bans Sreesanth and Chavan from playing cricket. The board's disciplinary committee has not yet taken a decision on Chandila.
September 27:
Supreme Court restrains Srinivasan from taking charges as BCCI President.
October 8:
The Supreme Court constitutes a three-member probe panel to conduct an independent investigation into the corruption allegations in the IPL, comprising former High Court judge Mukul Mudgal, senior advocate and additional solicitor general L Nageshwar Rao and Assam Cricket Association member Nilay Dutta. SC allows Srinivasan to take charge of BCCI.
February 10, 2014:
The Mudgal probe panel's first report finds evidence that Gurunath and Kundra indulged in betting. Gurunath is charged with passing on information during IPL 2013 and is named as a team official of the Chennai Super Kings franchise.
March 25:
The Supreme Court asks then BCCI president N Srinivasan to step down to allow for a fair investigation of the IPL corruption scandal.
March 28:
SC appoints Sunil Gavaskar to replace N Srinivasan as BCCI chief, and recommends that employees of India Cements, of which Srinivasan is managing director and which owns Super Kings, be kept out of the BCCI set-up.
April 16:
SC turns down Srinivasan;s reinstatement plea.
May 16:
The Supreme Court gives the Mudgal panel greater powers - including search and seizure of relevant documents and recording evidence - to investigate the contents of the sealed envelope and the allegations in the IPL 2013 scandal.
August 28:
Mugdal Committee files report.
September 1:
SC grants Mugdal Committee two months more time to complete probe.
November 3:
Mugdal panel submits final report.
November 14:
The Supreme Court names four individuals - Srinivasan, IPL chief operating officer Sundar Raman, Gurunath and Kundra - in connection with the Mudgal report into the 2013 IPL spot-fixing case.
November 17:
Mudgal report finds Srinivasan not guilty of either betting or fixing, or of trying to prevent the investigation into the IPL 2013 corruption scandal.
November 21:
Srinivasan seeks reinstatement as BCCI chief.
November 24:
Conflict of interest returns to haunt Srinivasan in the Supreme Court.
November 25:
The SC says Meiyappan's role in IPL scam is like insider trading.
November 27:
The SC throws suggestions whether those named in the Mudgal Committee could keep out of BCCI elections and the CSK franchise could be scrapped.
December 1:
The SC says the onus is on disproving conflict of interest on Srinivasan.
December 9:
The SC proposes a high-powered committee to cleanse cricket.
December 10:
Srinivasan agrees to keep away from the IPL, seeks an SC nod for reinstatement as BCCI president.
December 15:
The SC decides to examine a controversial amendment in the BCCI rules which enables office bearers to own teams in the IPL and Champions League T20 amidst a raging debate over the conflict of interest issue.
December 17:
The SC asks players and administrators with interests not to run the game and reserves order in the alleged betting and spot-fixing scam case.
January 22, 2015:
The Supreme Court, in a judgment pertaining to the IPL scandal, strikes down a controversial clause in the BCCI's constitution that allowed board officials to have a commercial interest in the IPL and the Champions League T20.
The court also appoints a new three-member panel, headed by former Chief Justice of India, RM Lodha, to decide on the quantum of punishment for Meiyappan and Kundra and for the respective franchises, if necessary.
The court declares that the order passed by the Lodha committee "shall be final and binding upon the BCCI and the parties concerned".
July 11:
The three-member panel says it will announce the quantum of punishment on July 14 for Meiyappan, Kundra and the teams they were part of - CSK and Rajasthan Royals respectively - for their alleged involvement in the IPL 2013 corruption scandal.
