SC rejects Lalit Modi's plea against disciplinary panel

The Supreme Court today dismissed former IPL Commissioner Lalit Modi's plea seeking recasting of the BCCI-appointed disciplinary committee probing allegations of financial irregularities against him, holding that the panel was "validly" constituted.

A bench comprising justices J M Panchal and H L Gokhale said that the three-member committee was validly constituted by the BCCI and it cannot be reconstituted merely on the ground of apprehensions of bias expressed by Modi.

"The petitioner (Modi) may have an apprehension, but it is not possible to say from the material on record that he was facing a real danger of bias. We cannot presume that the three member committee will not afford the petitioner a fair hearing, or that it will not render unbiased findings," the bench said.

Modi had sought reconstitution of the three-member panel comprising Arun Jaitley, Chirayu Amin and Jyotiraditya Scindia for probing alleged irregularities by him.

He had sought removal of Jaitley and Amin from the panel, alleging that they might be biased against him as they were part of the Special General Body meeting of BCCI where decision against Modi was taken.

Refusing to grant any relief to Modi, the bench said that he cannot dictate as to who should be the members of the Committee.

"A member of the society having accepted the rules, agrees to the disciplinary authority of the three-member Committee which is to be constituted under these rules. He cannot claim a right to dictate as to who should be the members of the Committee," the bench said.