Courtesy: The Hindu

Mumbai, Feb 28: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Monday served a show-cause notice to former BCCI president Jagmohan Dalmiya seeking explanation on the irregularities related to PILCOM (Wills World Cup 1996) accounts.

The notice has been issued to Dalmiya on the basis of queries raised by the BCCI Hon. treasurer N. Srinivasan at the Working Committee meeting held in Delhi on February 21. "Mr. Dalmiya has to respond within 15 days of receipt of the notice which has been sent today,'' said Prof. Ratnakar Shetty, executive-in-charge, BCCI.

Meanwhile in Kolkata, Dalmiya refuted all the allegations made against him in a 33-page reply.

Releasing the documents to the media, an emotionally charged Dalmiya accused the present regime of witch-hunting and trying to bring disrepute to him, his family, friends and colleagues.

He said he was considering other options, including legal ones, if the campaign against him did not stop. "I do not believe in being personal against anybody. I never did it in the past, now, and would never do it in future. If such allegations are aimed at me, I will not take them lying down,'' he said.

"People who are in power want me to go retired hurt. I will not retire hurt but will face all the bouncers and beamers,'' he observed.

He also challenged his detractors to come out with documentary evidence to prove that he had misappropriated even one rupee. "I have handled so many corporate houses in the past and dealt in crores. Nobody has come forward to say that I took even Re. 1 from them,'' he said and added "I am ready for a trial by the media. In these circumstances, only media and judiciary can be trusted. I have come to the media and if need be will seek the intervention of the judiciary,'' he said.

The former ICC and BCCI president said truth would triumph. "Ultimately the truth will prevail. I'll be meeting you (media) again. This is my promise,'' he concluded.