Mumbai/New Delhi, April 26 (IANS) : In a dramatic midnight coup, the Board of Control for Cricket India (BCCI) Sunday suspended its vice-president and Indian Premier League (IPL) chairman and commissioner Lalit Modi for alleged financial impropriety.
As planned, the Board waited for the IPL final to be over and within minutes of the prize distribution ceremony at the D.Y.Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai, it announced Modi's suspension and a show cause notice to him.
Chairman of BCCI's media and finance committees Rajiv Shukla had told IANS earlier in the day that if Modi did not put in his papers by Sunday night, he would be sacked.
Modi made an emotional speech from the presentation ceremony dais after the IPL final, saying that IPL is "clean and transparent."
"I am speaking as IPL commissioner and the captain of the team. IPL has been unfortunately surrounded with off-field dramas. The recent happenings are only based on innuendoes, half truths and motivated leaks from all sides. I assure you all decisions are jointly taken by the GC (governing council) and were approved by the general body in the first and the second year of IPL," he said.
"I reassure you that if there is any flouting of rules and any irregularities, I take on the full responsibility," he added.
"I would like to assure you fans across the globe that the IPL is clean and transparent and I thank millions of fans for making it one of the best sporting leagues ever."
"We should not allow this brand to be diluted and with the support of the millions and millions of viewers across the globe. We have seen some talents emerging and should not allow its image to be diminished."
"IPL has faced many challenges this year, but we have faced this challenges head on."
"I just wanted to leave a small footprint in the glorious history of the games. I would like to call it a Indian People's League."
The Board took the easy way out. Instead of waiting for Modi to come to the GC meeting Monday at the cricket headquarters at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium, it decided to act swiftly to keep Modi off the meeting.
An official said on the condition of anonymity that the Board was under pressure from higher-ups to get rid of Modi come what may and there was little it could do.
Modi this afternoon issued a notice to all GC members that he would preside over the meeting and members could give it in writing their allegations against him as well as any other member.
The board official argued that the president has the power to suspend Modi using the Board’s constitutional provisions.
He cited a clause in the statute which says: "The president shall exercise superintendence over the office-bearers in the discharge of their duties generally and particularly in accordance with the general or special direction of the Board or the Working Committee. The president shall also exercise such functions and duties as may be enjoined on him personally by the Board or by the Working Committee."
The clause must be read in conjunction with another by-law which states: "If any member or an associate member or any office-bearer or any vice-president of the Board refuses or neglects to comply with the provisions of the rules or is guilty of such conduct as the Board may consider likely to endanger the harmony or affect the reputation, stability or interest of the Board, such member or office-bearer or vice-president shall be liable to expulsion from the Board, specially convened for the purpose, provided that the resolution for expulsion is carried by a majority of 3/4th of the votes of the members present and voting."
Even if the BCCI president had not suspended Modi, the Working Committee would have done it May 2. After that, the board will have to call a special general meeting to ratify the decision by a two-thirds majority. All these exercises can take a maximum of six months.
Armed with these provisions, the Board president slapped the suspension letter with the show cause on Modi. The president can also appoint an inquiry committee to go into the charges levelled against Modi and ask him to appear before it.
The board constituted such probe committees to act against high-profile members. The last one was against former BCCI chief Jagmohan Dalmiya more or less on similar charges of alleged financial bungling.
The Modi camp appeared to have anticipated the move and a source close to him told IANS that the Board’s hasty action will take the issue to a court.
Modi blamed for 'misdemeanours', given 15 days to reply
Mumbai, April 26 (IANS) Justifying the suspension of Lalit Modi as vice president of Board of Control for Cricket in India and Indian Premier League's chairman and commissioner, board president Shashank Manohar Monday said his alleged acts of "individual misdemeanours" had brought a bad name to the board.
Manohar also issued a show cause notice to Modi asking him to explain within 15 days why disciplinary action should not be taken against him.
"The events of the last few days have thrown up lot of sad and unfortunate developments," Manohar said in a press statement in the early hours Monday.
"While we rejoice and celebrate the great success of IPL season 3, the alleged acts of individual misdemeanours of Mr.Lalit Modi, Chairman IPL and vice president, BCCI, have brought a bad name to the administration of cricket and the game itself."
Manohar said that he waited for the IPL to conclude before taking any action against Modi because he did not wanted to "disrupt" the tournament.
"Immediately after the conclusion of the IPL final, the BCCI secretary, Mr. N. Srinivasan has in consultation with me issued a show cause notice to Lalit Modi under Rule 32 (iv) calling upon him to show cause within 15 days why disciplinary action should not be taken against him."
"Simultaneously in exercise of the powers vested in me under Rule 32 (vii), I have suspended Mr. Lalit Modi from participating in the affairs of the Board, the IPL, the Working Committee and any other Committee of the Board of Control for Cricket in India," Manohar said.
Is the BCCI chief afraid of truth, asks Lalit Modi?
New Delhi, April 26 (IANS) Indian Premier League commissioner and chairman Lalit Modi, who has been suspended by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), said in the wee hours Monday that he could not fathom why he was being kept out of the Governing Council (GC) meeting of the Indian Premier League scheduled a few hours later.
"Are they scared of truth?" asked Modi on the board president's move to bar him from attending the meeting.
Modi, who referred to the off-field happenings of the last few days at the IPL closing ceremony, sounded bitter and at the same time, combative when he said every decision of his was approved in the GC as well as by the board and accepted the responsibility for any error of judgment in discharging his duties as IPL chairman and commissioner.
Asked if he would still try to attend the meeting, Modi told NDTV that how could he do so when he has been suspended, adding that he would wait for his turn.
The outgoing chairman, however, said "no comment" when asked whether he would challenge the decision in the courts.
In his speech at the prize distribution, Modi received huge applause when he thanked the people of the country for making the IPL a great sporting event.
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