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Sports Fraud Bill delayed again
NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court accepting recommendations by the Justice RM Lodha Committee for reforms in the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is set to
NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court accepting recommendations by the Justice RM Lodha Committee for reforms in the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is set to bring about an administrative shakeup in the body.
The Apex court delivered its judgement on July 18 but the question on how Indian law will deal with match-fixing and corruption in cricket — and sports in general — is yet to be answered.
The Sports Fraud Bill 2013, which stipulates jail term for officials, sportspersons and entities involved in corrupt practices in sport is yet to be discussed in the Cabinet or the Parliament.
The Bill, which was drafted in the aftermath of the 2013 Indian Premier League (IPL) match-fixing scandal in which three Rajasthan Royals players—S Sreesanth, Ankeet Chavan and Ajit Chandila—were arrested for their alleged role, is unlikely to be discussed in Parliament in the ongoing monsoon session. HT has learnt that the law ministry has sent this bill to the Attorney General’s office for opinion.
The proposed Bill contains provisions to impose five to six years imprisonment on those, including private companies (read IPL teams), directly or indirectly indulging in or attempting any sporting fraud.
It clearly defines ‘inside information’ and ‘sporting fraud’ and states that ‘manipulation or attempt to manipulate result(s), irrespective of whether the outcome is actually altered or not’, will incur a jail term. Besides, ‘wilfully failing to perform to his or her true potential for economic or any other advantage or benefit for oneself or for any other sports’ will also be punishable.
With many private sports leagues mushrooming in India, the expert panel, while drafting the Bill, had incorporated everything required to bring all the sporting entities in the country (including foreign players involved in these leagues) under its ambit.
Countries such as Australia, South Africa, Brazil, Germany, Poland and Denmark already have laws for prevention of sporting frauds since betting is legal there.
