Chennai: A pariah in Indian cricket for three years now, former IPL Commissioner Lalit Modi was on Wednesday slapped with a life ban by the BCCI after its disciplinary committee found him guilty on eight charges of "indiscipline and misconduct". On a day of high drama, which was marked by legal tug of war between Modi and the BCCI, a Special General Meeting of the Board took less than half an hour to unanimously impose a life ban on the controversial 49-year-old administrator.
"The BCCI, at its Special General Meeting today considered and discussed the report of the Disciplinary Committee of the BCCI on the Show Cause Notices issued to Mr. Lalit Kumar Modi, in accordance with Clause 32 (iv) of the Memorandum of Rules and Regulations," the Board said in a statement. "...Mr. Lalit Modi is guilty of committing acts of serious misconduct and indiscipline, and therefore, in exercise of powers as per Regulation 32 of the Memorandum and Rules and Regulations of the Board, Mr. Lalit Modi be and is hereby expelled from the BCCI.
"He shall forfeit all his rights and privileges as Administrator. He shall not in future be entitled to hold any position or office, or be admitted in any Committee or any member or associate member of the Board," he added. Modi, the brain behind the highly successful IPL, made a last-ditch effort to avert the impending sanction by writing a letter to the BCCI members requesting them to refrain from any decision till the matter was sub-judice. "Not a single member in the meeting supported Modi and the House took a unanimous decision to impose a life ban," a top BCCI official said.
The BCCI disciplinary committee, comprising Arun Jaitley, and Jyotiraditya Scindia, submitted a 134-page report in July in which it had found Modi guilty on eight charges, including financial irregularities, indiscipline and "actions detrimental to the interest of the BCCI." Modi moved the apex court on Wednesdayfor an urgent hearing in the matter and a bench headed by Justice G S Singhvi had asked him to mention it before the bench concerned at 2 pm. He had challenged the order of the Delhi High Court which had yesterday allowed the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to hold the meeting while vacating the stay granted by a trial court.
BCCI had moved the high court challenging trial court's September 21 order restraining it from holding its SGM, contending that lower court had no jurisdiction to pass such an order as the meeting is scheduled to be held in Chennai. The high court, while allowing BCCI to hold its meeting today, had said, "The decision of SGM is subject to the decision of the suit pending before the trial court." The high court had also dismissed Modi's cross-appeal against the decision of the lower court which had declined to pass an interim order on his petition challenging the appointment of Sanjay Patel as Secretary and Jagmohan Dalmiya as the interim chief of BCCI by N Srinivasan.
On September 21, the trial court had in an ex-parte order restrained BCCI from holding its SGM on Modi's plea challenging Patel's authority as BCCI Secretary in issuing the September 2 notices to him for considering the report of a three-member disciplinary committee comprising Arun Jaitley, Chirayu Amin and Jyotiraditya Scindia on September 25.
