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More litigation in store afterBCCI suspends RCA forelecting Modi as president

By Qaiser Mohammad Aliin New Delhi

NEW Rajasthan cricket bossLalit Modi on Tuesday declaredthat he would take legalrecourse to fight the “illegal”suspension of his associationby the BCCI while offering toremain away from Boardmeetings till the issues areresolved.

Modi, 50, speaking from Lon-don, said he has already takencharge of the Rajasthan CricketAssociation (RCA), held the firstmeeting of its executive com-mittee on Tuesday, and nomi-nated RCA’s deputy president,Mehmood M. Abdi to repre-sent the body at the BCCI.

“If they want to take actionagainst Lalit Modi they can doso, but they can’t do so againstthe RCA, which has been demo-cratically elected and is free todo what it wants. I’m happy tostep aside, in the sense that I’dnot attend BCCI meetings. TheRCA executive committee hasalready authorised the deputypresident to attend BCCI meet-ings, till the time a solution isfound,” Modi told Mail Today inan interview.

“When Mr Jagmohan Dalmiyawas banned by the BCCI [foralleged misappropriation offunds] he didn’t attend BCCImeetings and someone elserepresented the Cricket Asso-ciation of Bengal. So, for themto take this dramatic step

against the RCA is foolish.Somebody has to take a stand,and I have taken a stand and I’llcontinue to do so, on thisissue,” he thundered.

When asked if he has con-

veyed his offer to step asidefrom the BCCI, Modi said: “Idon’t have to convey this offerto the BCCI as they have nomandate to remove the RCA.They must come to us first. Onwhat basis have they removedus? They should have called ageneral body meeting to sus-pend us. How can one person

[interim BCCI president ShivlalYadav] suspend an association?Who gave him that authority?”

It is learnt that the RCA isready to start the legal battleon Wednesday by moving theRajasthan High Court.

“We’ll fight the battle; thebattle of fixing is not a smallone. To remove the fixers, it’sgoing to be a tough fight. I’mready to take the tough fightto its logical conclusion,” hesaid, taking pot shots at BCCIpresident his bête noire N.Srinivasan.

Modi, who has been living inEngland since April 2010, saidhe would return to Indiadepending on which partyforms the next national gov-ernment.

“I’ll come as soon my securitysituation changes. I’m waitingfor the election results tocome out and in a few weekswe’ll know who forms the newgovernment. If I get assuranceof protection I’ll be there,” hesaid.

“There are two things I haveto do: first, I am fighting for mypassport, which was illegallyrevoked. That matter is comingup day after tomorrow in DelhiHigh Court. I hope a decision istaken before the court closes[for summer vacation] as onlythe closing arguments areleft,” he said. “Then I’ll take thenext step: to wait and see whoforms the new government,which is just a matter of days.Where’s the hurry?”

‘I AM READY TO STEP ASIDE UNTIL ISSUE IS RESOLVED’

By Qaiser Mohammad Ali in New Delhi

YET another long court battle loomslarge over Indian cricket as theBCCI on Tuesday suspended theRajasthan Cricket Association(RCA), soon after Lalit Modi wasdeclared elected as RCA president

in a controversial election held in December.BCCI interim president Shivlal Yadav suspended the RCA

as a BCCI member, “pending disciplinary proceedingsagainst it on charges of misconduct”, after the sealed enve-lope containing the results of the December 19 election wasopened by the Supreme Court-appointed principal observerJustice (Retd) NM Kasliwal.

Modi, 50, a former IPL chairman who is living in Englandsince his suspension by the BCCI in April 2010 for allegedmisdemeanours and expelled for three years in Septemberlast year following an internal Board inquiry, won the election24-5, beating Rampal Sharma. Somendra Tiwari was electedRCA secretary, Pawan Goyal the treasurer, and Mehmood M.Abdi, legal counsel of Modi, the deputy president. Abdi saidModi would rule via the RCA executive committee.

Modi got prompt support from his mentor Sharad Pawar,who as BCCI president had encouraged him to launch the

IPL in 2008. The union minister said he was “shocked to hearabout the decision. I think it is a very harsh decision by theBCCI”. Yadav, who was appointed interim head by theSupreme Court after it ordered N. Srinivasan to keep awayfrom the BCCI affairs following the 2013 IPL betting-fixingcase invoked Regulation 32 (vii) of the Rules and Regula-tions of BCCI to suspend the RCA. The BCCI seems to behave been encouraged by the Supreme Court order of April30 in the Kishore Rungta-State of Rajasthancase. Part of court order stated: “If it is found bythe BCCI that any person has acted against itsRules, Regulations or Law, which is to beenforced by it, it would be open to it to takeappropriate action against such a person.”

I n a statement, announcing the suspensionof the RCA, BCCI secretary Sanjay Patelsaid: “Keeping in mind the interests of thesport of cricket and in order to safeguardthe best interests and welfare of the crick-

eters playing the game in different age-groupsand their future, an ad-hoc committee will beconstituted shortly by the BCCI.”

While it’s a fact that Yadav has been appointedby the Supreme Court, it is also true that theclause that the former Test off-spinner hasinvoked empowers the BCCI “president” andthere is no mention that the “interim president”would also enjoy the same power.

But some others opined that since the SupremeCourt has appointed Yadav as interim president,he too would enjoy all the powers that an electedone would have. The Supreme Court came intothe picture in the state body’s election after for-mer RCA president Kishore Rungta opposed theabolishing of individual members’ voting rightsfollowing the promulgation of the controversialRajasthan Sports Act. Modi was allowed to con-test the RCA elections only because this Act doesnot recognise the BCCI’s ban on Modi, and aftertwo Supreme Court-appointed observers clearedhis nomination for the contest.

BCCI got involved in Rungta’s case by filing aninterlocutory application in the Supreme Court,seeking to stop Modi from contesting as he hadalready been expelled from the Board. But theapex court allowed Modi to contest.

I think Lalit should have waited forhis [three-year] ban imposed bythe BCCI to get over [on Sept 24,

2016] before fighting the RCA electionand in the meanwhile have let any ofhis trusted lieutenants to take charge.I have no reaction to the SupremeCourt order, but the case is alive and,naturally, I’ll wait for a final call bythe Supreme Court [on the issue ofsuspension of voting rights ofRCA’s individual members]

■ 2005: Modi replaces theRungta regime that con-trolled the RCA for more thanthree decades and becomesthe president.

■ NOVEMBER 29, 2005:Becomes BCCI vice-president

■ SEPTEMBER 13, 2007:Announces the launch of theIndian Premier League (IPL)

■ 2008: The sale of eight IPLfranchises takes place

■ JANUARY 2009: Numerouscases of funds misappropria-tion comes up against Modi

■ MARCH 1, 2009: Modiloses RCA election but keepshis place in the BCCI as he isalso a PCA vice-president

■ DECEMBER 7, 2009: Losesthe RCA election again

■ DECEMBER 2009:First hints of a rivalrybetween Modi and NSrinivasan, then BCCIsecretary

■ JANUARY 7, 2010:Chris Cairnsannounces his inten-tion to sue Modi afterthe latter makes fixingallegations against him

■ APRIL-MAY 2010:More revelations onfinancial irregularities inthe IPL emerge. BCCI giveshim three show-causenotices

■ SEPTEMBER 2013: The BCCIdisciplinary committee findsModi guilty and expels himfor three years as per theBCCI constitution

■ MAY 26, 2014 :Modi is declared president ofthe Rajasthan Cricket Associ-ation again. BCCI interimpresident Shivlal Yadav sus-pends RCA ‘on charges ofmisconduct’

THE MODI SAGA

TURMOIL— Kishore Rungta, ex-president of RCA, in whose petition

BCCI intervened & sought to stop Modi from contesting

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INTERVIEWLALIT MODI

30 Mail Today, New Delhi / Chandigarh, Wednesday, May 7, 2014 Mail Today, New Delhi, Wednesday, May 7, 2014