Mumbai, March 24
The war between Maratha strongman Sharad Pawar and former President of Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Jagmohan Dalmiya is all set to take a turn for the worse with the Mumbai police all set to file a chargesheet against the latter before the Mumbai sessions court on Wednesday.
The vicious battle between the two cricket heavyweights comes weeks before the BCCI's Indian Premier League set up to combat television tycoon Subash Chandra’s Indian Cricket League takes
to the field in the coming weeks.
It is open knowledge that Chandra’s Zee TV which was denied cricket telecast rights by the BCCI teamed up with Dalmiya and former cricketer Kapil Dev to promote the ICL.
Dalmiya’s clout with various state cricket federations also ensured that ICL matches were given playing venues in different parts of the country.
Though Dalmiya was defeated by Pawar and had to cede control of the BCCI he continues to pose a tough challenge to Pawar in matters of cricket. BCCI sources say, Pawar is now playing his cards to ensure that Dalmiya is kept away from the cricket body permanently by using the Maharashtra police to file criminal complaints against him.
Pawar’s Nationalist Congress Party controls Maharashtra’s Home Ministry under which falls the police department.
On Sunday, Joint Commissioner of Police (crime) Rakesh Maria held a press conference where he said investigators came up with proof against Dalmiya for embezzling funds from the BCCI’s accounts.
Maria alleged that Dalmiya had misappropriated more than Rs 2.90 crores towards payment of personal phone bills, purchasing foreign exchange, car rental, hotel bills and stationary.
Today Dalmiya retaliated with a statement from Kolkatta denying the charges.
“Challenging the actions taken by the BCCI against me, I had filed a suit in the Hon’ble High Court in which an order has been passed which states that the actions taken were totally illegal,” Dalmiya has been quoted as saying.
“In that proceeding, office-bearers of the BCCI had filed an application supported by an affidavit containing blatantly incorrect statements for which I have filed an application praying before the Hon’ble High Court to initiate proceedings for perjury against the concerned office-bearers of the BCCI” Dalmiya added.
