BCCI seeks 2 days to clarify legal mandate against Modi

The disciplinary committee of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), which has initiated inquiry proceedings against former Indian Premier League commissioner Lalit Modi, has sought two days to clarify its legal mandate to carry out its job, Modi’s counsel has stated.

The committee’s response came tonight after Modi’s advocates maintained the proceedings could not happen as the tenure of the committee allegedly came to an end on September 29. Modi had raised a similar question before the Supreme Court last month, though BCCI, in its response, refused to reconstitute the disciplinary committee.

“As per BCCI’s constitution rule 1Q, the general body (of BCCI) is to constitute a fresh three-member committee, including the president as one of its members, every year. The last such appointment happened on September 29, 2009. The term of that committee has ended by the end of September this year. It does not have the mandate to conduct an inquiry now,” Mehmood Abdi, Modi’s counsel said.

IPL Commissioner Chirayu Amin and politicians Arun Jaitley and Jyotiraditya Scindia are the members of the committee. Modi’s counsels had argued that the committee members should be replaced while hearing their client’s case, as the members, according to them, are likely to be biased against Modi. Amin was involved in issuing showcause notices to Modi and later replaced Modi as the IPL head.

The committee is probing charges of financial irregularities against Modi. The sitting will go on till November 25.