The Supreme Court on Wednesday set aside the lifetime ban imposed on former Kerala Ranji player Santhosh Karunakaran by the Kerala Cricket Association (KCA).
A bench comprising Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta allowed the special leave petition (SLP) filed by Karunakaran against the 2021 rulings of the Kerala High Court, which had dismissed both his writ petition and subsequent appeal.
Karunakaran was banned in 2021 after he questioned the lack of reforms in district cricket bodies. He had earlier approached the KCA Ombudsman in 2019, seeking implementation of model byelaws recommended by the Lodha Committee. The Ombudsman rejected his plea, saying he hadn’t made the district associations party to the case.
The Supreme Court observed that the Ombudsman’s process lacked transparency and that Karunakaran was denied a fair opportunity to present his case. It also said that the High Court had been too harsh in dismissing his petitions.
The Court restored his original plea and directed the Ombudsman to hear the matter afresh and pass a reasoned order within three months.
—IANS