Thaindian News

Mumbai, July 3 (IANS) Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) president Shashank Manohar, after the Special General Meeting (SGM), Saturday said the disciplinary committee will pursue charges against suspended Indian Premier League (IPL) chief Lalit Modi and legal action will be initiated against him.
The BCCI Saturday ratified the charges against Modi and reconstituted the disciplinary committee, which will look into the charges slapped on Modi, inducting Jyotiraditya Scindia in place of Manohar in the three-member panel. Scindia is president of the Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association. The other members of the disciplinary panel are Arun Jaitley and new IPL chairman Chirayu Amin.

The panel has till Oct 26 to complete the inquiry on Modi, who is facing charges on several counts ranging from financial irregularities to bid-rigging as chairman of the cash-rich IPL.

Manohar said all the decisions taken at the SGM were unanimous before adding that the Kings XI Punjab team will not be sold until the board finishes all inquiries into the matter.

“All decisions including the induction of Jyotiraditya Scindia in the three-member disciplinary committee were unanimous,” Manohar told reporters.

Manohar has pulled himself out of proceedings after Modi levelled countercharges against him and BCCI secretary N. Srinivasan and asked them to recuse themselves from hearing charges against him.

“I have been accused of being biased and hence Scindia was named as the third person in the committee. He has not been involved in the day-to-day functioning of BCCI and hence is unbiased,” Manohar said.

Manohar said the disciplinary panel will issue legal notices to Modi and investigation agencies will decide on further action. “The BCCI inquiry on Modi and the filing of charges can happen simultaneously,” he said.

“The house after a deliberation and debate in the matter, resolved that the president of the board should be authorised to take all legal actions including civil and criminal for the wrongful loss caused to the board against Mr. Modi and any other person.

“Whether it is a civil or criminal matter, we can only decide after we have probed the legality of the issue,” he said.

The SGM was convened after Srinivasan rejected the replies of Modi contained in the three showcause notices and referred the charges to the disciplinary committee for further proceedings. A three-fourths majority was needed to ratify Srinivasan’s decision.