The draft law, being overseen by law minister Kapil Sibal in the wake of the IPL betting scandal, intends to put a scare among sportspersons not to use dishonest tactics or exploit grey areas in the rules during the course of a game.
Dishonest tactics may not necessarily involve payment of bribes, any other consideration or involvement of bookies, but will be adjudged as an offence if the actions alter the outcome of a tournament by impacting net run rates or goal differences - that can decide playoffs and eliminations.
"The charge of employing dishonest tactics to change the course of a game so as to influence the determination of the line-up of teams in the quarterfinal level will be difficult to prove in a court of law as it is difficult to gather evidence about on-field activities of players and the captain. But it is a preventive measure meant to signal that authorities are serious about curbing malpractices," official sources said.
The draft law has been sent by the legislative department to the sports ministry for consultations with experts such as sports administrators and former players. Additional measures could be incorporated in the legislation after the sports ministry offers its views.
The draft law marks a significant departure from the lenient punishment provided under the Public Gambling Act, 1867. This law provides for a maximum of one month imprisonment and a fine of Rs 100. The Bombay Prevention of Gambling Act, 1867 and the Delhi Public Gambling Act, 1955 provide a higher punishment of a maximum of six months in prison and a fine of Rs 1,000.
Given the inadequacy of punishment at a time when even small-time bookies are playing in crores of rupees, the draft law has classified various offences and suggested punishment ranging between 3 to 10 years imprisonment.
In a related development, the government is likely to ask all national sporting bodies to mandatorily frame a code of conduct for players, coaches and administrators. It intends to place this code of conduct before Parliament to make it sacrosanct. This means, violation of the code of conduct would make offending players and officials liable for automatic disqualification.
Serious and continued breach of the code of conduct would render the management of the sporting body liable for dissolution, sources said.
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