PIL in Bombay HC seeks Rs 1,000 crore of medical supplies, apology from BCCI for conducting IPL

An advocate has filed a petition in the Bombay High Court demanding that the world's richest cricket board-- Board of Cricket Control of India (BCCI) be asked to supply oxygen and medical supplies worth around Rs 1,000 crore and whatever profit BCCI has made by holding Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021. The Bombay HC will hear this petition on Thursday.

The petitioner, Vandana Shah, also asked the cricket body to apologise unconditionally to Indians for their "tone deaf and arrogant behaviour".  Shah's petition further questions the accountability of BCCI towards the public, adding that she herself loves cricket but in times like the COVID-19 crisis, lives are more important.

It further added that BCCI should be asked to organise crematoriums since they are also overburdened due to rising coronavirus crisis.

Also read: IPL 2021 suspended indefinitely after several players test COVID-19 positive

The BCCI and the IPL Governing Council decided to postpone the IPL 2021 after Wriddhiman Saha of the Sunrisers Hyderabad and Amit Mishra of the Delhi Capitals tested positive for COVID-19. Varun Chakravarthy and Sandeep Warrier of the Kolkata Knight Riders were the first two players to test positive. After this, the bowling coach of Chennai Super Kings L Balaji also tested positive for the virus.  

The BCCI does not want to "compromise on the safety of the players, support staff and the other participants involved in organising the IPL. The decision was taken keeping the safety, health and well-being of all the stakeholders in mind," according to an official statement issued by the board.

Even though the BCCI and the IPL Governing Council held an emergency meeting decided to postpone the tournament indefinitely, Shah has sought that her plea should be heard.

Edited by Mehak Agarwal

Also read: How IPL owners, teams, franchises make money? All you need to know