The BCCI has suspended controversial Indian Premier League chairman and commissioner Lalit Modi just hours before a crucial governing council meeting.
Modi has been accused of a wide range of financial impropriety from rigging bidding deals related to the IPL, offering bribes, betting and money laundering.
The decision to suspend Modi was announced by BCCI president Shashank Manohar.
"While we rejoice and celebrate the great success of IPL season three, the alleged acts of individual misdemeanours of Mr.Lalit K Modi, chairman IPL and vice president, BCCI have brought a bad name to the administration of cricket and the game itself," Manohar said in a statement.
"I have waited for the IPL 3 - 2010 to conclude in order to respond to the situation as I did not want the event to be disrupted in any manner.
"Immediately after the conclusion of the IPL final, the secretary, BCCI Mr. N Srinivasan has in consultation with me issued a show cause notice to Mr. Lalit K Modi under Rule 32 (iv) calling upon him to show cause within 15 days why disciplinary action should not be taken against him.
"Simultaneously in exercise of the powers vested in me under Rule 32 (vii), I have suspended Mr. Lalit K Modi from participating in the affairs of the Board, the IPL, the working committee and any other committee of the Board of Control for Cricket in India."
Modi now cannot attend the governing council meeting called by Srinivasan at the behest of Manohar to discuss the allegations as well as his future at the head of the Twenty20 tournament.
Modi had at first refused to attend the meeting, indicating that it was illegal as only he, as chairman and commissioner of the IPL, had the power to convene such a gathering.
Late on Sunday, however, Modi abruptly changed tack by announcing that he would not only attend the meeting, but also revealed he would chair it.
Modi also issued a one-point agenda for the meeting which was to have a "discussion on any complaints received in writing from members of the governing council against the chairman, other members of the council and/or the Board of Control for Cricket in India."
He also requested documentary evidence and vowed to provide all the answers.
"Members of the governing council have been requested to give all such complaints in writing with the requisite supporting documents at the meeting on the morning of 26th April, 2010 to the chairman and commissioner, so they can be replied in full," the statement from Modi read.
Modi's decision to attend the meeting is believed to have triggered the BCCI into issuing a show-cause and a suspension notice.
The Indian Board is reported to have emailed the suspension notice to Modi during the final of the tournament in Mumbai, but the IPL commissioner put on a defiant face.
In his address at the end of the IPL final in Mumbai Modi said: "Though the events on the ground have been an outstanding success, there have been some off-field unpleasant dramas based on the unknown, half-truths and motivated leaks from all sorts of sources.
"I assure you all decisions have been jointly taken by the governing council and approved by the general body (of the BCCI) in both year one and two of the IPL.
"Still as leader of the team, I reassure you that if there have been any flouting of the rules and regulations or if there have been any irregularities, I shall take full responsibility.
"I assure you the IPL is clean and transparent."
Significantly, Modi's reassurance of all decisions being taken by the governing council is only limited to the first two editions of the tournament.
The current crisis, however, relates to the current edition and was triggered when Modi revealed details on Twitter relating to the ownership and shareholders of the new Kochi franchise in an alleged breach of a confidentiality clause.
Modi had especially questioned a free stake given to Sunanda Pushkar, a close friend of junior minister in the ruling coalition Shashi Tharoor, who had mentored the consortium which eventually secured the winning bid for the Kochi franchise.
Tharoor was forced to resign after being accused by the opposition of using his office to profit, but the decision brought on a multi-agency government probe into all aspects of the IPL.
That probe, which covers a range of so far unsubstantiated infringements including tax evasion, money laundering, front companies and foreign exchange violations, is continuing.
The BCCI had admonished Modi for revealing the names of the shareholders of the Kochi franchise - to which Modi responded by suggesting the stakeholders of the franchise had plenty to hide - but focus and attention was shifted to Modi's own alleged impropriety and misconduct following scrutiny by income tax officials at the offices of the BCCI, the IPL and all the franchises, Modi's residence and at the offices of the broadcasters of the tournament Multi Screen Media (formerly Sony Entertainment Television) and World Sports Group.
The decision to suspend Modi was announced by BCCI president Shashank Manohar.
"While we rejoice and celebrate the great success of IPL season three, the alleged acts of individual misdemeanours of Mr.Lalit K Modi, chairman IPL and vice president, BCCI have brought a bad name to the administration of cricket and the game itself," Manohar said in a statement.
"I have waited for the IPL 3 - 2010 to conclude in order to respond to the situation as I did not want the event to be disrupted in any manner.
"Immediately after the conclusion of the IPL final, the secretary, BCCI Mr. N Srinivasan has in consultation with me issued a show cause notice to Mr. Lalit K Modi under Rule 32 (iv) calling upon him to show cause within 15 days why disciplinary action should not be taken against him.
"Simultaneously in exercise of the powers vested in me under Rule 32 (vii), I have suspended Mr. Lalit K Modi from participating in the affairs of the Board, the IPL, the working committee and any other committee of the Board of Control for Cricket in India."
Modi now cannot attend the governing council meeting called by Srinivasan at the behest of Manohar to discuss the allegations as well as his future at the head of the Twenty20 tournament.
Modi had at first refused to attend the meeting, indicating that it was illegal as only he, as chairman and commissioner of the IPL, had the power to convene such a gathering.
Late on Sunday, however, Modi abruptly changed tack by announcing that he would not only attend the meeting, but also revealed he would chair it.
Modi also issued a one-point agenda for the meeting which was to have a "discussion on any complaints received in writing from members of the governing council against the chairman, other members of the council and/or the Board of Control for Cricket in India."
He also requested documentary evidence and vowed to provide all the answers.
"Members of the governing council have been requested to give all such complaints in writing with the requisite supporting documents at the meeting on the morning of 26th April, 2010 to the chairman and commissioner, so they can be replied in full," the statement from Modi read.
Modi's decision to attend the meeting is believed to have triggered the BCCI into issuing a show-cause and a suspension notice.
The Indian Board is reported to have emailed the suspension notice to Modi during the final of the tournament in Mumbai, but the IPL commissioner put on a defiant face.
In his address at the end of the IPL final in Mumbai Modi said: "Though the events on the ground have been an outstanding success, there have been some off-field unpleasant dramas based on the unknown, half-truths and motivated leaks from all sorts of sources.
"I assure you all decisions have been jointly taken by the governing council and approved by the general body (of the BCCI) in both year one and two of the IPL.
"Still as leader of the team, I reassure you that if there have been any flouting of the rules and regulations or if there have been any irregularities, I shall take full responsibility.
"I assure you the IPL is clean and transparent."
Significantly, Modi's reassurance of all decisions being taken by the governing council is only limited to the first two editions of the tournament.
The current crisis, however, relates to the current edition and was triggered when Modi revealed details on Twitter relating to the ownership and shareholders of the new Kochi franchise in an alleged breach of a confidentiality clause.
Modi had especially questioned a free stake given to Sunanda Pushkar, a close friend of junior minister in the ruling coalition Shashi Tharoor, who had mentored the consortium which eventually secured the winning bid for the Kochi franchise.
Tharoor was forced to resign after being accused by the opposition of using his office to profit, but the decision brought on a multi-agency government probe into all aspects of the IPL.
That probe, which covers a range of so far unsubstantiated infringements including tax evasion, money laundering, front companies and foreign exchange violations, is continuing.
The BCCI had admonished Modi for revealing the names of the shareholders of the Kochi franchise - to which Modi responded by suggesting the stakeholders of the franchise had plenty to hide - but focus and attention was shifted to Modi's own alleged impropriety and misconduct following scrutiny by income tax officials at the offices of the BCCI, the IPL and all the franchises, Modi's residence and at the offices of the broadcasters of the tournament Multi Screen Media (formerly Sony Entertainment Television) and World Sports Group.
0 comments