Kerala HC sends notice to BCCI on plea by Sreesanth

Kochi: Kerala High Court on Friday sent a notice to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on petition filed by Sreesanth to lift the lifetime ban imposed on him. The next hearing will be held on March 5.

Sreesanth on Wednesday had filed a petition in the Kerala HC seeking its direction to the BCCI to allow him to play for a Scottish club in April.

In his petition, Sreesanth, challenging the life ban imposed on him by the disciplinary committee of the BCCI, said even the trial court which heard the match-fixing case has observed that "no prima facie case in any offence including Section 3 of MCOCA is made out against the accused persons and they are entitled to be discharged."

All the 36 accused, including Sreesanth, Ankeet Chavan and Ajit Chandila, were discharged in the IPL-6 spot fixing case by Patiala House Court in July 2015.

The BCCI, however, refused to alter its disciplinary decision even after the verdict.

In his petition, Sreesanth argued that the BCCI panel which inquired the matter had made its reports against him based on the information provided by the Delhi Police.

He alleged that "the entire prosecution case framed out by the Delhi Police Special Cell" against him was based on a "cooked-up story created according to their aspirations and imaginations..."

Sreesanth said he was invited by the Glenrothes Cricket Club, Fife Scotland for representing Gelnroth Team (Premier League in Scotland) to be held in the first week of April.

In response to this invitation, he expressed his willingness to participate in the match provided he got the NOC from the Indian cricket board, Sreesanth said.