The Supreme Court on Monday dismissed sacked IPL commissioner Lalit Modi’s petition challenging the BCCI’s disciplinary proceedings against him for various alleged irregularities in organising the T-20 Indian Premier League.
Mr Modi, who had fled the country after three show cause notices were served on him by the BCCI in 2010 with the first notice sent on May 6 that year, had questioned the “fairness” of the disciplinary proceedings by a in-house panel of the board comprising Jyotiraditya Scindia, Chirayu Amin and Shri Arun Jaitely.
The main allegation of Mr Modi against the committee members was that all of them were associated with the BCCI.
However, a bench of Justices J.M. Panchal and H.L. Gokale rejected his plea, saying “mere apprehension of bias cannot be a ground for interference” in the disciplinary proceedings by the BCCI, which had laid down rules for dealing with such issues as a registered society. “Though such domestic inquiries have undoubtedly to be fair, a member of the society cannot stretch the principle of fairness to the extent of demanding a tribunal consisting of outsiders, on the basis that the society members are biased against him,” the top court said. While reminding Mr Modi that when he in his petition had stated that he was not making any “personal” allegation against any member of the panel, then he should have some faith on the institution of which he himself was a member.