Thiruvananthapuram, May 2 (PTI): The Kerala Cricket Association (KCA) has suspended former India pacer S Sreesanth for three years for allegedly making false and derogatory statements against it in connection with the controversy surrounding Sanju Samson’s omission from the Indian team for the Champions Trophy.

In a statement, the KCA said the decision was taken at its special General Body meeting held in Kochi on April 30.

Sreesanth is currently a co-owner of Kollam Aeries, a franchise team in the Kerala Cricket League.

Earlier, in relation to his controversial remarks, show-cause notices had been issued to Sreesanth as well as to the franchise teams Kollam Aeries, Alappuzha Team Lead, and Alappuzha Ripples.

"Since the franchise teams gave satisfactory responses to the notices, no further action will be taken against them. However, the meeting decided to advise greater caution when appointing members to team management," the statement said.

The General Body also resolved to file a compensation claim against Sanju Samson's father, Samson Vishwanath, and two others for making baseless allegations using Sanju Samson’s name, it added.

The KCA had issued a show-cause notice to Sreesanth--who was part of the India squad that won two World Cup titles--for his remarks linking the state cricket body and Samson during a panel discussion on a Malayalam television channel.

In a statement, the KCA had clarified that the notice was not issued for supporting Samson but for making misleading and defamatory comments against the association.

During the televised discussion, Sreesanth allegedly pledged his support to Samson and vowed to protect him and other Kerala players, while levelling accusations against the KCA.

His remarks came amid criticism of the KCA for dropping Samson from the Kerala squad for the Vijay Hazare Trophy, which was believed to have affected his chances of being selected for India’s Champions Trophy team.

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New Delhi: The Congress party has stood by Pawan Khera, the Chairman of the party’s Media and Publicity Department, expressing confidence that regardless of hurdles like politics of threat and intimidation, justice would emerge victorious.

Khera was denied anticipatory bail by the Gauhati High Court on Friday in the case filed against him by Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma's wife Riniki Bhuyan Sarma for alleging that she possessed not only multiple passports but also undisclosed properties abroad.

Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh has said in a post in Hindi on his ‘X’ account, “The entire Indian National Congress stands in solidarity with Pawan Khera, the Chairman of its Media and Publicity Department. The process to challenge the Gauhati High Court’s decision in the Supreme Court is underway.” In the post, which he put up on Friday, Ramesh has added, “We are confident that justice will prevail over the politics of threats, intimidation, and harassment.”

Bhuyan Sarma has lodged also an FIR seeking legal action against Pawan Khera for his allegations that she possesses passports of three countries and owns a company in the US, which had invested Rs. 50,000 crores. She has filed criminal cases against the Congress leader at the Guwahati Crime Branch Police Station under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).