Delhi high court on Tuesday cleared the decks for holding its Special General Meeting (SGM) on sacked Indian Premier League chairman Lalit Modi. It set aside a lower court order restraining Borad of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) from holding the meeting scheduled for Wednesday.
The meeting will consider the disciplinary committee’s report on Modi for alleged finacial irregularities in the IPL. ‘So far as appeal of the BCCI is concerned, it is allowed,’ said Justice V K Shali.
The high court also dismissed Modi’s cross-appeal against the decision of the lower court which had declined to pass an interim order on his petition challenging the appointment of Sanjay Patel and Jagmohan Dalmiya in the BCCI by N Srinivasan.
‘Appeal of Lalit Modi is dismissed for the reasons that the relief claimed by him is the same relief which he had already claimed in the main suit before the trial court....it will tantamount to a decree passed by the High Court,’ it said.
Modi’s lawyers sought copy of the order on urgent basis saying they will file an appeal in the Supreme Court on Wednesday.
While rejecting Modi’s arguments questioning the appointment of Dalmiya and Patel, the court said Srinivasan continues to be the President of BCCI and he is also vested with some power to appoint them as functionaries of the Board.
The BCCI had moved the high court challenging the trial court’s order restraining it from holding its SGM contending the lower court had no jurisdiction to pass such an order as the SGM is scheduled to be held in Chennai.
On 21st September, the lower court had in an ex-parte order restrained BCCI from holding its SGM on Modi’s plea challenging Patel’s authority as BCCI Secretary on issuing two notices in Septmeber to him for considering the report of a three-member disciplinary committee comprising Arun Jaitley, Chirayu Amin and Jyotiraditya Scindia. The lower court had also granted four days to BCCI, Patel and Dalmiya to file their responses on Modi’s plea and posted the matter for 30 September.
N Srinivasan faces last-minute legal hurdle
India’s powerful cricket chief faces a last-minute legal challenge to his attempted return to the top job following a betting scandal that has rocked the sport, a lawyer said on Tuesday.
The Supreme Court agreed to hear a petition on Friday seeking to ban Narayanaswami Srinivasan from running for president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) during crucial elections this weekend.
A petition, filed by Aditya Verma on behalf of the Cricket Association of Bihar (CAB), claims Srinivasan has no ‘moral authority’ to vie for a third year as BCCI chief during elections in Chennai on Sunday. ‘We moved the Supreme Court seeking an urgent hearing. The court has agreed to hear our plea on Friday,’ said Verma.