Tainted pacer S Sreesanth’s plea for a review of his life ban has been “summarily rejected” by the BCCI, which says it will not compromise on its zero tolerance policy towards corruption.
The BCCI has informed Sreesanth of its decision in a letter. The letter was sent by BCCI CEO Rahul Johri after the cricketer wrote to the COA appealing for revocation of his ban in the 2013 spot-fixing scandal.
“The BCCI has informed him that his life ban stays and he won’t be allowed to play any form of competitive cricket. He had also appealed in a local court in Kerala and our legal counsel will be replying,” a senior BCCI official told PTI on Tuesday.
“The BCCI has always maintained zero tolerance towards corrupt practices. No court has exonerated Sreesanth of fixing charges. It was charges of his links with ‘underworld’ that were dismissed by the lower court,” the source said.
It was made clear that Sreesanth, who intended to play club cricket in UK, won’t be allowed and the BCCI has now shut the case.
Back in March, in his petition, Sreesanth, challenged the life ban imposed on him by the disciplinary committee of the BCCI and said even the trial court which heard the match-fixing case has observed that “no prima facie case in any offence including Section 3 of MCOCA is made out against the accused persons and they are entitled to be discharged.”
All the 36 accused, including Sreesanth, Ankeet Chavan and Ajit Chandila, were discharged in the IPL-6 spot fixing case by Patiala House Court in July 2015.