Sreesanth moves Kerala High Court for lifting BCCI ban

Kochi: Former Indian Test player S. Sreesanth on Wednesday moved the Kerala High Court seeking a directive to the  Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to lift the life ban imposed on him by the disciplinary committee of the board. The BCCI had refused to consider a legal notice sent by him on February 16 seeking to revoke the ban.

Sreesanth submitted that Glenroth Club of Scotland had invited him for playing a premier league match scheduled to be held in the first week of April, for which NOC from BCCI is mandatory.  Though he made a specific request on February 11 to grant NOC, so far it  has not replied.   He has to give NOC  to the Scotland team before March 2.

Sreesanth, who was part of the World Cup winning squad, was handed a life ban by the BCCI for his alleged involvement in the spot-fixing scandal during IPL 2013.  The BCCI had made it clear that Sreesanth during this period will not be entitled to be associated with any activities of the BCCI or its affiliates.

Sreesanth submitted  that though repeated requests seeking to lift the ban were filed before the BCCI, they were  denied.  The Assistant Sessions Judge, Delhi Patiala Court,  had acquitted him from the case on July 25, 2015. After the order of the trial court,  he had made a specific request to revoke the ban. However, the BCCI has refused to revoke its earlier decision.

Sreesanth argued that the inquiry commissioner of the BCCI relied only on the depositions and other materials gathered by the Delhi police for preparing the reports against him. He contended that  the BCCI has not conducted any other probe, and  so the ban order is illegal and  in violation of the principles of natural justice.

The Delhi police had arrested Sreesanth along with two of his team mates on May 16, 2013. Following this, the BCCI had suspended him from all cricket activities and formed a disciplinary committee to decide further action.