NEW DELHI, July 30 — Those found guilty in the match-fixing\betting scandal may be punished by erasing their records from the books and taking back their awards. Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) president A C Muthiah told reporters here today that the BCCI was suggesting such a clause to be included in the code of conduct which is being finalised by a board sub-committee.

But Mr Muthiah clarified that the new code of conduct was in no way trying to gag the voice of future captains by preventing them from airing their views in the media. “We have no intention to gag the captain”, clarified the BCCI chief.

The BCCI was to submit the code of conduct report to Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa on August 1, but since the report has to be ratified by the BCCI working committee meeting to be held in Bangalore on August 19, the board will submit only a “vision report” to the minister on August 1.

Mr Muthiah said: “We will only give the ‘vision report’ to the government on August 1 and take suggestions from the minister for incorporation in the code of conduct, which will later be ratified by the BCCI working committee meeting”.

When Mr Dhindsa’s comments that the government would take back the awards to the cricketers found guilty in the match-fixing scandal was brought to his notice, the board chief said: “We have decided to erase all records and revoke the awards as a penalty for the guilty (players)”. The BCCI chief, however, feigned ignorance about the actual contents in the code of conduct, taking cover under the plea that the “sub-committee is still working on it”.

Mr Muthiah also evaded a direct answer to a question whether coach Kapil Dev, Mohd Azharuddin and Ajay Jadeja would be dropped from the Indian team, saying that the “players would be selected on merit, and unless they are found guilty, how can the board take action against them?”

The board chief said he had not yet received clearance from the government to send the Indian team for the five-match Sahara Cup one-day series to be played in Toronto (Canada) from September 9 to 17 “though we have sought clearance from the government. We are waiting for it”.