Chennai/New Delhi, Sept 25
The BCCI on Wednesday banned for life Lalit Modi, former IPL chairman and commissioner, from all its activities on charges of serious misconduct and indiscipline.
The cricket board’s decision came minutes after the Supreme Court rejected Modi's plea to put on hold the board's Special General Meeting
(SGM) in Chennai.
SC rejects
plea
The cricket board’s decision came minutes after the Supreme Court rejected Modi's plea to put on hold the board's Special General Meeting
(SGM) in Chennai. At the SGM, chaired by BCCI president N Srinivasan, Modi was "found guilty of committing acts of serious misconduct and indiscipline.
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At the SGM, chaired by BCCI president N Srinivasan, Modi was "found guilty of committing acts of serious misconduct and indiscipline” and banned for life.
"Resolved that Lalit Modi is guilty of committing acts of serious misconduct and indiscipline, and therefore, in exercise of powers as per Regulation 32 of the
Memorandum and Rules and Regulations of the Board, Lalit Modi be and is hereby expelled from the BCCI. He shall forfeit all his rights and privileges as administrator. He shall not in future be entitled to hold any position or office, or be admitted in any Committee or as any member or associate member of the Board," BCCI secretary Sanjay Patel said in a statement.
The SGM discussed the 134-page inquiry report submitted by the BCCI's special disciplinary committee, comprising senior vice-president Arun Jaitley, former IPL chairman Chirayu Amin and Jyotiraditya Scindia.
The committee had detailed the alleged irregularities that Modi committed from the time the IPL's governing council approved the draft of the Invitiation to Tender (ITT) in December 2009 - for adding two more teams to the league - to Modi's eventual suspension in April 2010.
In fact, it was the introduction of the Kochi franchise that spelt Modi's doom. The case of Kochi constitutes three of the eleven charges pressed against Modi, including rigging bids, arm-twisting franchises and bringing the BCCI into disrepute through his comments on Twitter.
As a last-ditched attempt to avoid the life ban, Modi requested the BCCI to adjourn the SGM and also said that he was willing to appear before it through video conferencing. The pleas were not allowed. The apex court said Lalit Modi was free to challenge his expulsion from the BCCI. A Bench comprising Justices HL Gokhale and J Chelameswar made the clarification while rejecting his plea for restraining the BCCI from holding a special general meeting. Arguing for Modi, senior counsel Abhishek Singhvi pleaded for a stay on the proposed SGM, slated to be held at 2 pm, questioning the legality of the meeting. Incidentally, the court hearing was also taking place at 2 pm. Singhvi said the AGM was slated to be held in Chennai on September 30, there was no occasion to convene an emergency meeting of the SGM with the sole aim of slapping a “life ban” on Modi.
At this, the Bench said, “Your client is free to challenge the decision taken at the SGM. Just because he is a big shot and big money is involved, the court can’t go on interfering in the internal affairs of a registered society.”
