Centre will bring a new legislation soon to curb the dishonest and unfair practices in all the sports events. The opinion for a broadbased and standalone legislation was given by Attorney General of India. Briefing reporters in New Delhi this evening, Law Minister Kapil Sibal said the Attorney General has advised that the Centre is competent to legislate on the subject.

The Minister said the draft of the new legislation will be ready within a few days. He said the draft provisions will be sent to Sports Ministry for taking views of experts and all stakeholders. He said the top law officer of the Union Government also advised that it would be better to have a new legislation instead of amending the Indian Penal Code for the purpose.

The Minister said the country has been grappling with the problem of dishonest practices for the last ten years, not only in cricket, but also in other sports events. Mr Sibal said that he had spoken to Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley and Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Rajiv Shukla in this regard.

He said both of them have readily agreed for a separate law. Mr Sibal said that the new law will deal with the menace of dishonest practices like spot-fixing, match fixing or any other activity including latest technologies, which tend to change the outcome or the course of the sporting event.

AIR Correspondent reports that the Centre's move comes in the wake of spot-fixing scandal in IPL matches, which left millions of cricket lovers badly hurt.