India Supreme Court rejects bid to halt IPL

Published
1

NEW DELHI: India's Supreme Court dismissed a petition on Tuesday seeking to scrap the remaining matches of the country's lucrative Twenty20 cricket competition amid growing concerns about corruption in sport.

Former test bowler Shanthakumaran Sreesanth and two other players were arrested along with 11 bookmakers on Thursday on suspicion of spot-fixing in the Indian Premier League (IPL).

The case has prompted the Indian government to look at the possibility of introducing a law to combat matchfixing and spot-fixing.

Cricket fan and social activist Sudarsh Awasti lodged the petition demanding the scrapping of the remaining four IPL matches, including Sunday's final, but the apex court said the competition would go on as scheduled.

The court also asked the Indian cricket board to submit a report within two weeks with details of the players' involvement in the scandal and what action were being taken against them.

Cricket is a gentlemen's game and it should remain so, the court observed.

Awasti also wanted a special investigation to get to the bottom of the spot-fixing scandal and for the league to be banned from next year but the court found no merit in his demands.

Legal sports betting in India is confined to horse racing while illegal betting syndicates thrive in the absence of a law dealing specifically with such corruption in sport.

Media estimates put the amount gambled on India's top cricket Twenty20 competition at $427 million in 2009.

Opinion

Editorial

Eating grass for AI
Updated 19 Oct, 2026

Eating grass for AI

As dependence on AI grows, the bill could reach hundreds of millions of dollars by the end of the decade.
Climate exodus
Updated 19 Oct, 2026

Climate exodus

Climate displacement could then become another source of instability unless governments prepare for it together.
Settler terrorism
19 Oct, 2026

Settler terrorism

ISRAEL’S genocidal violence in occupied Gaza has understandably captured the world’s attention. Yet another...
State of denial
Updated 18 Oct, 2026

State of denial

If the Taliban regime commits to preventing groups based on its soil from attacking neighbouring states, the process of normalisation and regional integration of Afghanistan can begin.
Suffering in silence
18 Oct, 2026

Suffering in silence

TOO many Pakistani children have nowhere to turn when abused online. An estimated 1.5m internet-using children aged...
Export imperative
18 Oct, 2026

Export imperative

THE government’s efforts to boost Pakistan’s external sector through diversified financing, higher foreign...