New Delhi: Unfazed by the Bombay High Court order declaring BCCI's two-member probe as "illegal", a defiant N Srinivasan on Tuesday made it clear that he will attend the Working Committee here on August 2 which is expected to draw up the future course of action.
Hearing a Public Interest Litigation filed by the Cricket Association of Bihar, a division bench of justices S J Vazifdar and M S Sonak declared the two-member BCCI probe panel "unconstitutional and illegal", a development which has put a spanner on Srinivasan's return to the BCCI top post.
The High Court order comes just two days after the BCCI panel submitted its report which cleared president-in-exile Srinivasan's franchise Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals owner Raj Kundra of charges of betting.
"We will wait for the judgement to come into our hands before deciding our next step," BCCI's interim chief Jagmohan Dalmiya said.
But Srinivasan took a more defiant stand and said he will attend the Working Committee meeting on August 2.
"Yes, I will be attending the BCCI working Committee meeting in New Delhi on August 2," Srinivasan told PTI.
When specifically asked in which capacity he will be attending the meeting, Srinivasan gave a terse reply, "Come there and see for yourself as to what capacity I will be attending the meeting!"
Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA) is a permanent member of the BCCI Working Committee and Srinivasan might as well attend the meeting by virtue of being the president of the state association.
Normally, Srinivasan confidant and former India Cements employee Kashi Viswanathan represents TNCA at such meetings.
Srinivasan also took an aggressive stance when asked about the ruling of the Bombay High Court on the probe panel which was formed to inquire into the IPL spot-fixing scandal.
"I don't know why you people are making a big issue. A writ was filed and the court has given its verdict. The matter finishes there. I have no further comments to make on this issue," he said.
According to a BCCI source, the Working Committee will take a decision on whether to immediately appeal against the verdict in the Supreme Court or wait till the police authorities complete their probe in the matter.
Moments after the High Court order came out, the BCCI's top officials started consultations on the implications of the development.
Srinivasan, who was expected to be back at the helm of affairs after stepping aside for the duration of the BCCI inquiry, also had a meeting with his lawyers.
The petition in the Bombay High Court alleged blatant bias by Srinivasan, who is the vice-Chairman and Managing Director of India Cements Ltd, which owns Chennai Super Kings. The PIL urged the court to direct BCCI to recall its order constituting the probe panel and instead the court shall form a panel of retired judges as it may deem fit to hold inquiry against Srinivasan's son-in-law and CSK Team Principal Gurunath Meiyappan, Kundra and Rajasthan Royals in the scandal.
BCCI and Srinivasan, in their reply affidavits, termed the petition as "motivated and vested with personal interests."
The development came as a setback for Srinivasan's return to the BCCI top post since the entire probe report's validity itself is under question.
Meanwhile, BCCI secretary Jaywant Lele said the Board's internal enquiry panel was an "eyewash".
"Bombay High Court has taken a very correct decision. According to me also this (BCCI's internal enquiry) was an eyewash. The judges appointed in the two-member committee were the people of N Srinivasan.
"How is that on the day of the Working Committee meeting, the report is submitted in the morning and in the evening the two people (N Srinivasan's son-in-law and team principal of Chennai Super Kings Gurunath Meiyappan and Rajasthan Royals' co-owner Raj Kundra) were set free? It is nothing but fraud," Lele said.
"We have to wait until the proceedings in the court are finished. The result will come in due course of time," Lele added.
Lele said the moment Meiyappan agreed to betting in IPL matches, the franchise has no right to stay in the IPL.
"The board constitution is clear that any close relative of the franchise owner is found in any sought of misconduct he has no right to stay. The moment Meiyappan agreed with the police that he had betted, Srinivasan's term ends," he said.
The IPL spot-fixing scandal broke out when India pacer S Sreesanth, along with two other Rajasthan Royals players Ajit Chandila and Ankeet Chavan and 11 bookies, was arrested for alleged spot-fixing in the IPL.
The contracts of the tainted players were terminated by their franchise, which also lodged a criminal complaint against them.
It snowballed into a crisis for the BCCI when Board President N Srinivasan's son-in-law and Chennai Super Kings Team Principal Gurunath Meiyappan was arrested on charges of betting on May 26.
A internal probe panel, originally comprising former judges Chouta, Balasubramanian and the then BCCI Secretary Sanjay Jagdale, was constituted on May 28 to investigate the allegations against Meiyappan, who maintained his innocence after getting bail.
Srinivasan, who owns the CSK franchise, remained defiant through the turmoil and refused to resign but had to step aside as BCCI President after a stormy emergent Board meeting on June 2 where Dalmiya took charge of an interim arrangement to run the Board's affairs pending the inquiry.
The upheaval led to the resignations of Board Secretary Sanjay Jagdale and Treasurer Ajay Shirke, who asked for Srinivasan's resignation on moral grounds.