BCCI ratifies charges against Modi

(Cricinfo) The BCCI has voted unanimously to ratify the charges against suspended IPL commissioner Lalit Modi at its special general body meeting in Mumbai yesterday, and forwarded the case to its disciplinary committee.

The committee will now investigate the allegations against Modi to determine whether civil or criminal charges should be filed against him. It has until October 26 to complete its inquiry.

“The house after a deliberation and debate in the matter, resolved that the president of the board should be authorised to take all legal actions including civil and criminal for the wrongful loss caused to the board against Mr. Modi and any other person,” BCCI president Shashank Manohar, said.

“Whether it is a civil or criminal matter, we can only decide after we have probed the legality of the issue.”

Modi’s lawyer Mehmood Abdi responded to the BCCI’s decision to look into civil and criminal charges against his client by calling it a “legal absurdity.”

“The decision taken is a legal absurdity,” Abdi told PTI. “On the one hand the special general meeting of the BCCI decided to ratify referring of charges against Mr Lalit Modi to the disciplinary committee for further investigation. On the other hand the BCCI decides also to file criminal charges against Mr Modi on the same ground. That means the BCCI has already formed an opinion about the commitment of offence by Mr Modi.”

Earlier at the same meeting, Union Minister of State and Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association president Jyotiraditya Scindia was appointed to the disciplinary committee to replace Manohar, who had recused himself from all proceedings concerning Modi. Jyotiraditya is the son of the late Madhavrao Scindia, who was the BCCI president from 1990 to 1993.

The meeting was convened by BCCI secretary N Srinivasan, who had rejected Modi’s replies to the board’s three show-case notices and passed the initial order to refer the case to the disciplinary committee. Under the board’s constitution, a three-fourths majority was needed to ratify Srinivasan’s decision.

Modi was suspended immediately following the conclusion of IPL 3 and charged with financial irregularities relating to the bidding process for IPL franchises, the mid-over ad sales and the sale of theatrical rights. He was also charged with colluding to set up a rebel league in England. Modi had repeatedly accused Manohar and Srinivasan of harbouring personal grudges against him, and insisted neither of them should be involved in deciding his case.

The other two members of the committee who will take up Modi’s case are board vice-presidents Arun Jaitley and Chirayu Amin.