SC bouncer ousts N Srinivasan; IPL doubtful, BCCI in a shambles

March 26, 2014

N_SrinivasanNew Delhi, Mar 26: Expressing shock over the revelations in the report submitted by the justice Mukul Mudgal committee in a “sealed envelope”, the Supreme Court on Tuesday asked BCCI president N Srinivasan to step down to ensure a fair investigation into the IPL corruption saga.

A bench of justices AN Patnaik and FM Ibrahim Kalifulla fumed at senior counsel Ariama Sundaram, who also counts Subrata Roy Sahara among his clients. “You ask Mr Srinivasan to step down, otherwise we will give our verdict asking him to step down,” the bench said.

The judges, who made their way into the jam-packed courtroom at 10:30am, expressed anguish over Srinivasan’s refusal to give up his position. More so after his son-in-law Gurunath Meiyappan was found to be involved in betting-related activities during his time as team principal of IPL franchise Chennai Super Kings, owned by Srinivasan’s company, India Cements Ltd.

“Why are you (Srinivasan) still there? Why don’t you step down? It is so nauseating,” the bench fumed. It also rejected all arguments of the BCCI, including Srinivasan’s decision to appoint a committee to look into the IPL fiasco. The bench dismissed Sundaram’s submission that the Supreme Court-appointed panel (Mukul Mudgal committee) enjoyed all the benefits, including the right to record the statement of police officials. Conversely, the BCCI-appointed panel, which comprised two retired judges, did not have these benefits at the time of primary investigation. For the record, the BCCI-appointed committee had given Meiyappan a clean chit.

What must be hitting Srinivasan harder is that three out of five vice-presidents in the cricket board are now raising their voices against him.

Shivlal Yadav, Ravi Savant and Chitrak Mitra have all said that Srinivasan must abide by what the Supreme Court says.

So what next for Srinivasan?

As of now, the BCCI has not called for any meeting. Srinivasan is tight-lipped, secretary Sanjay Patel has cut short his Asian Cricket Council meeting and rushed back to Chennai and IPL chairman Ranjib Biswal has left for the UAE where the first leg of IPL 7 will be staged.

“We have 48 hours. Srinivasan may resign on Wednesday,” an insider said. In fact, senior BCCI officials did not hesitate to toe the Supreme Court’s line on Tuesday. “The BCCI must abide by the observation,” said Yadav, vice president (South Zone). In fact, Yadav is tipped to take over as interim president.

Also, this could well be the end of Srinivasan’s dream of taking over as chairman of the International Cricket Council, which underwent administrative and financial “reforms” recently. Srinivasan joined hands with Cricket Australia and the England and Wales Cricket Board to form ‘The Big Three’, which would effectively run world cricket.

“This is a domestic matter of the BCCI and the ICC has no comment to offer at this stage,” ICC media manager Sami-ul-Hasan said. ICC CEO Dave Richardson, who had expressed delight over the BCCI’s decision to host the IPL in the UAE, made no official comment on Tuesday.

Secretary of Cricket Association of Bihar (CAB) Aditya Verma, on whose pursuance the matter has reached where it is now, told dna that “there is no escape route left for Srinivasan”.

“I was confident that the honourable court will open the sealed envelope today. And with this, there is no way that Srinivasan can escape now. Not just he, but his team CSK and other corrupt teams should be scrapped from the IPL. Our stand has been vindicated and people should understand that cricket is being damaged by these corrupt administrators for their personal use,” said Verma.

IPL in jeopardy

A BCCI office-bearer who is also associated with the IPL governing body said the IPL Season VII this year could be given a miss in order to clear the muck. What’s worse is that franchises Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals can be terminated.

Way ahead for Srini

He is likely to quit today. With board members voicing their dissent, he may find it difficult to claw back to the top of Indian cricket board again. “If he doesn’t step down, it will be our responsibility to save the game of cricket from further embarrassment,” an official said.

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News Network
February 13,2020

Feb 13: Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna were buried in a private funeral service in Southern California last week, multiple outlets reported late Tuesday.

Citing Kobe Bryant's death certificate, Los Angeles Fox affiliate KTTV reported the remains of the former Lakers star and his daughter were transferred to Pacific View Memorial Park and Mortuary in Corona del Mar. Kobe and Brianna were laid to rest in a private ceremony there last Friday.

According to KTTV, the death certificate cited Kobe's cause of death as "blunt trauma" sustained in a "commercial helicopter crash." It also said his death was "rapid."

Corona del Mar is a community within Newport Beach, where the Bryant family lives.

Kobe, 41, and Gianna, 13, were among nine people killed when the helicopter they were in crashed on a hillside in Calabasas, Calif., northwest of Los Angeles, on Jan. 26. Orange Coast College baseball coach John Altobelli, 56; his wife, Keri; and their daughter Alyssa, 14 -- who played on the same club basketball team as Gianna Bryant -- also were killed. Christina Mauser, a 38-year-old who was the top assistant coach of the Mamba girls basketball team, was also killed in the accident, as were Sarah Chester, 45; her daughter Payton Chester, 13; and pilot Ara Zobayan, 50.

A public memorial service for the Bryants will be held Feb. 24 at Staples Center, beginning at 10 a.m. PT.

While the date -- 2/24 -- conveniently falls between two Lakers' home games, it still could have been chosen symbolically. Gianna -- one Kobe and Vanessa' four daughters -- wore No. 2 on her basketball jersey while Kobe was No. 24 for part of his 20-year-tenure with the Lakers, and his retired jerseys -- he also wore No. 8 -- hang at Staples Center.

The Los Angeles Times reported that "entry is expected to be severely restricted" at the venue despite Staples Center's capacity of about 20,000.

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News Network
June 13,2020

Melbourne, Jun 13: Former Australia wicketkeeper-batsman Adam Gilchrist and current opener David Warner have expressed gratitude to two Indian students for helping people in the country during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Gilchrist thanked Sharon Varghese, an Indian student who did her Bachelors in Nursing from the University of Wollongong.

Varghese has been was working on the frontline along with other health care workers to look after the residents of aged-care during the global health crisis.

"She gave up her time to work as an aged-care worker throughout that time. Sharon, I want to say congratulations on the selfless act and for wanting to thank people in Australia because you have enjoyed three and a half years living here. And that’s wonderful to hear," Gilchrist said in a video message.

"Just want to let you know, all of Australia, all of India and more importantly, your family will be so very proud of your efforts."

In another short video, Warner thanked Queensland-based Indian student, Shreyas Sheth.

"Namaste. I am here to say thank you to Shreyas Sheth who is doing selfless work to help others during the COVID crisis. Shreyas is doing his Masters in Computer Science at the University of Queensland and he has been part of University’s outreach program, preparing and delivering food packets to students in need right now," Warner said in the video.

"So I just want to say ‘good on ya’. I am sure your mum and dad and India are proud of you. Keep up the great work."

The videos were shared by Austrade India official twitter account, which have hit almost 10 thousand views in last one week.

Apart from the two cricketers, another Social Media Influencer Amy Aela also sent her thank you note to Liya, an Indian student from Griffith university for her work in providing mental health support to communities in Australia during the pandemic.

"Liya I just want to thank you...we definately need more people like you...just remember that Australia is so so proud of you, India is proud of you..please keep up the good work," Aela said.

Former Australian footballer Craig Foster also sent his thank you message to another Indian origin nurse Arushi from Deakin University. More than 100,000 Indian students are studying in Australia, currently making them one of the biggest cohorts of international students in the country.

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News Network
June 17,2020

New Delhi, Jun 17: Indian skipper Virat Kohli on Wednesday paid tributes to Indian Army soldiers, who were killed during the face-off with the Chinese troops in Ladakh's Galwan Valley.

Extending condolences to the kin of bravehearts, Kohli said, "No one is more selfless and brave than a soldier."

"Salute and deepest respect to the soldiers who sacrificed their lives to protect our country in the Galwan Valley. NO one is more selfless and brave than a soldier. Sincere condolences to the families. I hope they find peace through our prayers at this difficult time," he tweeted.

The violent face-off happened on late evening and night of June 15 in Ladakh's Galwan Valley as a result of an attempt by the Chinese troops to "unilaterally change" the status quo during de-escalation in Eastern Ladakh and the situation could have been avoided if the agreement at the higher level been scrupulously followed by the Chinese side, India said on Tuesday.

The Army confirmed that 20 soldiers were killed in the face-off, including 17 who were critically injured at the stand-off location and exposed to sub-zero temperatures in the high altitude terrain.

Indian and Chinese troops have disengaged at the Galwan area in Ladakh where they had earlier clashed on the night of June 15 and 16, Indian Army said.

Former cricketer Irfan Pathan tweeted, "We will always be indebted to our jawans of #IndianArmy who lost their lives in #GalwanValley #JaiHind."

Expressing similar sentiments, Indian batsman Shikhar Dhawan wrote, "A sacrifice that will never be forgotten by the nation. Heartfelt condolences to the family and loved ones of the Indian Army officer and the two soldiers. Saluting your bravery, Jai Hind! #GalwanValley."

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