Kerala High Court lifts life ban on Sreesanth

Kerala High Court on Monday lifted the lifetime ban imposed by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on cricketer S Sreesanth.

The ban was imposed by the BCCI on the basis of spot-fixing charges against him. He was banned in 2013 for his alleged spot fixing in the Indian Premier League (IPL) and was charged alongside two of his Rajasthan Royals teammates, Ajit Chandila and Ankeet Chavan. However, he was acquitted in the spot-fixing case in July 2015.

The latest development comes as a relief to the bowler who has been fighting for justice since the acquittal but BCCI had continued to hold out and didn’t lift the life ban imposed on him.

The court issued the order after considering a petition filed by the cricketer in March challenging BCCI's decision not to lift the ban despite a Delhi court exonerating him in 2015.

Challenging the ban, Sreesanth had contended at the high court that not lifting the ban violated his constitutional rights. It was on the basis of information provided by Delhi Police that BCCI imposed a ban on him and it was the case registered on the basis of the same information that was considered by the court while exonerating him. BCCI's decision not to withdraw the ban amounts to violation of constitutional rights, the player had argued.

After the judgement on Monday, S Sreesanth wrote on Twitter, “God is great..thanks for the all the love and support”.