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While the recent auction of international players for the fourth season of the Indian Premier League left many players licking their lips, it has also raised a few questions.
Notably, is one from the Maharashtra unit of the Congress Party. He has questioned the legality of IPL auction that was held in Bangalore on January 8 and 9.
Guru Nair, the vice-chairman of the cultural cell of the Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee, has written to both the President and Prime Minister, questioning the legality of the auction.
In his letter, Nair wanted to know:
- whether the Indian law permits the auction of human beings
- whether the Indian law permits the auction of skills and services of an individual
- whether an auction can be held in India when the game is to be played in India
- whether it is permissible to purchase a player/human being in exchange for foreign currency.
"I feel this kind of auction is a crime against the great game of cricket.
"The game develops good character in humans, but here, all big business houses are buying a human being. Somebody is sold and somebody is unsold," Nair told rediff.com.
"What character are these so-called icons showing? This is actually a crime against the nation's cultural heritage. They should be booked for treason," he added.
Nair claims that office-bearers of various ministries were unable to reply to his questions.
"I called up the various ministries and they weren't aware of such laws. They only said, 'Yeh toh cricket hai na' [This is cricket no]," he said.
Meanwhile, Nair intends to pursue the case and says he has been assured by President's office that the matter will be looked into.
"I received a letter from the President's office, which said my concerns will be addressed by various ministries, such as Ministry of Law & Justice, Department of Justice for appropriate attention.
"I've also sent a letter to the Sports Ministry and they have assured me that action will be taken. Since the Sports Minister was recently changed, I am hopeful of a positive response," he added.