The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) in its working committee meeting held here on Monday decided to suspend Rajasthan Royals' co-owner Raj Kundra, who has been accused of betting during the Indian Premier League (IPL) matches.
According to reports, the BCCI in its meeting held today under the chairmanship of interim chief Jagmohan Dalmiya also had discussions on various reforms to clean the game of cricket and the cash-rich IPL tournament in particular.
In an attempt to distance itself from Kundra, the Rajasthan Royals management had last week said that he had no involvement in running of the franchise and would be suspended if found guilty.
"As a franchise, we have always been clear that the same rules apply to players, management or owners. As such, our actions will be consistent as in the case of the spot fixing allegations with respect to our players. Mr. Raj Kundra is a minority (11.7 percent) shareholder, and he has no involvement in the running of the franchise. We believe that Mr. Raj Kundra is a law abiding citizen and would not act contrary to law. If however, he is proven guilty, or has breached any regulations, he will be suspended, and he will also forfeit his shares. This is a strict governance procedure agreed to by all Rajasthan Royals shareholders, and it is consistent with our zero tolerance approach," said Rajasthan Royals Chairman Ranjit Barthakur and CEO Raghu Iyer in a statement.The Jaipur-based franchise in its statement said that Rajasthan Royals has been assisting the police in the investigations and cooperating with the authorities to ensure a thorough inquiry.
"In the last few days, various members of the RR management have been assisting the Delhi Police in their investigation for a better appreciation and understanding of the matter. As we have stated before, we are cooperating with the authorities to ensure a thorough inquiry and will continue to share any such information that they may seek from us in the future. We are working hard as co-complainants to ensure that all information is made available to the authorities," the Rajasthan Royals statement said.
Delhi Police had earlier last week claimed that Raj Kundra has admitted to betting in the IPL through bookie Umesh Goenka.
"We got to know that he (Raj Kundra) used to place bets and that is why he was called for questioning. Umesh Goenka was the bookie through whom he placed the bets. He has lost a lot of money on the bets that he made," said Delhi Police Commissioner Neeraj Kumar.
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Delhi Police had also asked Kundra to surrender his passport and not to leave the country pending further inquiry in the IPL spot-fixing scandal.
Kundra, an NRI businessman based in the United Kingdom, was questioned for almost twelve hours by the police earlier on Wednesday.
Kundra was quizzed mainly on three aspects. He was asked about the capacity in which Goenka interacted with the management on team strategy, asking players other questions, and about the "open parties his team players attended" with the bookies at the team hotel.
Delhi Police also asked Kundra about his team's partnership and investment pattern since he only owns 11.7 percent in the team.
Information on Kundra came to light during the interrogation of his friend Umesh Goenka, a businessman who reportedly used to ask Rajasthan Royal players about strategy, team composition, pitch situation and even things like the possible winner of a match.
Kundra is Goenka's partner in his steel ingots manufacturing business called Ashwini Steel Private Limited in Ahmedabad.
The Rajasthan Royals have four owners, including Kundra's wife and Bollywood actor Shilpa Shetty.
If required, the Special Cell of Delhi Police may summon Shilpa Shetty and other team owners for questioning in the days to come.