(Image source from: Why BCCI wants Srinivasan back?})

The Supreme Court of India withheld its order on constituting a panel for probing all allegations of spot-fixing and betting against accused IPL cricketers and BCCI president N. Srinivasan today.

Presided over by Justice A.K. Patnaik, the apex court reserved the order after Justice Mukul Mudgal agreed to head the panel investigation panel.

During the hearing, senior counsel Gopal Subramaniam told the court that Justice Mudgalhas agreed to undertake the probe and would like to be assisted by former CBI director M.L. Sharma and two police officers, one from Chennai police and the other from Delhi Police for further probe.

The Supreme Court had asked Justice Mudgal whether he would want to preside over the probe panel during its last hearing.

However, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) resisted the proposal saying that the allegations against the cricketers and Srinivasan were based on an inquiry conducted by Justice Mudgal himself. So, the investigation into those allegations should be carried on by someone else.

The BCCI has expressed that if the Supreme Court favors an external panel, then Srinivasan should be brought back as president. The board argues that since Srinivasan can interfere with an internal probe, it's ok for him to be sidelined. But if it is an external probe, then presumably he could have no influence over it.

The board also debated over MS Dhoni and Srinivasan's silence on Meiyappan real identity as the owner of the team. Apparently, unimpressed by the BCCI submission, Justice Patnaik said the court will pass a judicial order and reserved it.

AW: Suchorita Choudhury