May 11: Suspended IPL chairman Lalit Modi’s insistence on proof of his alleged wrongdoings has forced the Indian cricket control board’s hand. The BCCI replied to Modi on Tuesday via email, but provided documents to supplement only four of the 10 charges originally listed in the show cause notice.
According to Modi’s counsel Mehmood Abdi, the board stated the rest of the charges were formulated on verbal complaints and discussions, and had been based on media reports.
“We needed documentary support for at least 10 references made in the show cause notice out of which four have been provided to us today,” Abdi said in Mumbai on Tuesday.
“The board secretary (N. Srinivasan) has written in an email to Modi that other references made in the show cause notice for which we wanted documentary support were oral transactions or verbal communications and there is no documentary proof for those.”
Modi was suspended by the BCCI on April 26 immediately after the conclusion of IPL-3, on the basis of allegations ranging from misbehaviour to financial crimes like fixing bids and entering into financial deals without the knowledge of thw governing council, besides having secret stakes in at least three IPL franchises.
Abdi added that the four documents handed over to him included an agreement, two letters, an email and a copy of shareholding pattern of an IPL franchisee. According to a top board official, some of the documents relate to communications between the board and Nimbus — the BCCI’s broadcast right holders for international and domestic cricket organised in India.
For the rest of the charges, a board official — also part of the IPL administration— claimed that internal sources and media reports would be relied upon.
“The charges have come out in the open and there is solid evidence backing them. We cannot be expected to provide such things... the BCCI does not maintain a record of media reports or telephone records,” the official told this newspaper.
The board had been emboldened by the disclosure of WSG South Asia head Venu Nair, who had admitted before the income tax officials to receiving kickbacks from Multi Screen Media last month, IPL’s official broadcaster. But that has yet to be officially linked to Modi.
Abdi said he would prepare the embattled administrator’s defence after going through the documents provided by the BCCI.
Modi is expected to file his replies to the BCCI’s chargesheet by May 15 before a three-man disciplinary committee comprising of Shashank Manohar and BCCI vice-presidents Arun Jaitley and Chirayu Amin. The committee is likely to decide Modi’s fate next month, which will be followed by IPL’s governing council meeting.
Former P&G chairman named as IPL advisor
Former Proctor & Gamble chairman Bharat Patel will join the IPL as an advisor to interim chairman Chirayu Amin, the BCCI said on Tuesday.
“Bharat Patel is being appointed as the honorary advisor to the interim IPL chairman,” Srinivasan said in a statement.
Patel was associated in setting up of the IPL in 2008 in an advisory capacity to the then chairman Modi.