Thaindian News

New Delhi, April 23 (IANS) The former president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), A.C. Muthiah, has moved the Supreme Court challenging the norms that allow office bearers to hold stakes in the franchises for Indian Premier League (IPL).
The noted Chennai-based industrialist has challenged the decision of the single-judge bench of the Madras High Court that had earlier dismissed his plea. His law suit with the apex court was confirmed by senior counsel Harish Salve.

Muthiah, as also IPL commissioner Lalit Modi, have also challenged the legality of the April 26 meeting of the governing council of the IPL cricketing extravaganza, saying there was conflict of interest over the person who has convened it.

The court’s intervention has been specifically sought in the wake of India Cements Ltd, which is led by BCCI secretary N. Srinivasan, being allowed to own the franchise for the Chennai IPL team.

Muthiah had challenged the rules saying board officials were privy to all the dealings and ins and outs of the cricket world. He said Srinivasan should not be allowed a stake as this would disturb the level playing field owing to his access to secret information.

“Srinivasan is an interested party and I have filed a case against him for conflict of interest. He is a secretary and a holder of franchise. He has no right to call for a meeting,” Muthiah said.

“I think to a large extent, the members of BCCI have consciously allowed themselves to be exploited by certain groups by amending the byelaws of the society. BCCI must ensure all those who have some stake or interest either directly or indirectly should be kept away.”

The president of the cricket board, however, has said both the charges were untenable and that the meeting of the governing council, called amid nationwide tax probe on the Indian Premier League (IPL) and its franchises, will go ahead as scheduled.

“Under the board constitution, the secretary is the convenor of all meetings. Even today I don’t convene a meeting, being the board president,” BCCI president Shashank Manohar said at the board’s headquarters in Mumbai Thursday.

Maintaining that then BCCI president and Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar had given an okay to India Cements to bid for IPL, Manohar slammed the IPL commissioner Modi for not declaring to the governing council that his own relatives were part owners of IPL teams.

“It is not that Srinivasan is bidding. It is India Cements company which is bidding and it is a public limited company,” Manohar told reporters with the India Cements vice chairman and managing director by his side.

“It is most unfair to say Srinivasan was a declared bidder. If Modi and his other relatives had a share in any of the franchises, he ought to have declared it at the meeting,” the BCCI chief maintained.