SC dismisses Swamy's plea, challengies 2-year CSK ban

New Delhi: Supreme Court on Friday dismissed a plea by BJP leader Subramanian Swamy challenging the two-year ban imposed on IPL franchisee Chennai Super Kings (CSK) over the 2013 betting scam involving its top official Gurunath Meiyappan.

A bench headed by Chief Justice TS Thakur rejected the plea in which Swamy had alleged that there were no allegations against either former BCCI president N Srinivasan or against any members of CSK and hence the ban imposed by the Justice RM Lodha panel was "illegal, arbitrary and unreasonable".

The Lodha panel had banned CSK and Rajasthan Royals after holding that its top officials like Raj Kundra and Gurunath Meiyappan were found involved in betting.

The BJP leader had said he had nothing against the Lodha panel and was confining himself to the ban on CSK which has become victim of "conspiracy".

The apex court had reserved its order on Swamy's plea on October 4.

During the hearing on the plea, the bench, also comprising Justices AM Khanwilkar and DY Chandrachud, had observed that the Lodha panel findings and its recommendation to ban CSK and Rajasthan Royals has "become final".

Star-studded CSK, then led by MS Dhoni, and Rajasthan Royals were on July 14 last year suspended for two years from the Indian Premier League in a clean-up exercise following the 2013 betting scam involving their top officials Meiyappan and Raj Kundra.

Meiyappan, son-in-law of then BCCI chief N Srinivasan and a former Team Principal of CSK, and Kundra, co-owner of Jaipur IPL that runs Rajasthan Royals (RR), were suspended for life from any match conducted by BCCI.

The punishments were handed down by a three-member panel headed by former CJI RM Lodha which was asked by the Supreme Court to decide the quantum of punishment after finding them guilty of betting.

The Madras High Court had also dismissed a similar petition by the owner of CSK challenging Justice Lodha panel's order.