Board to Move SC

WC meet called off; Dalmiya stays interim chief

New Delhi (PTI): A defiant N Srinivasan was Friday forced to drop his desperate bid to reinstate himself as BCCI President after the under-fire Board called off its Working Committee meeting here, fearing legal trouble in the wake of an adverse Bombay High Court order.

Srinivasan, who was expected to resume charge as BCCI President at the meeting, will have to wait on the sidelines for a longer period with Jagmohan Dalmiya continuing as the interim chief. The BCCI decided to appeal in the Supreme Court against the Bombay High Court order, which had declared the Board's IPL spot-fixing probe as "illegal and unconstitutional".

Before the working committee meeting was called off, the IPL's Governing Council decided to reconstitute its ethics commission, where two positions were lying vacant following resignations of Ajay Shirke (Treasurer) and Sanjay Jagdale (Honorary Secretary).

At its meeting in Delhi earlier on Friday, the IPL Governing Council (N Srinivasan having recused himself) considered at length, the issues arising from the Bombay High Court's order regarding the constitution of the probe commission, which was formed to investigate the complaints made by the BCCI against India Cements Limited, Jaipur IPL Cricket Private Limited, Gurunath Meiyappan and Raj Kundra, the BCCI Secretary Sanjay Patel said in a statement.

As a matter of principle, the members confirmed that it was important that the Governing Council's actions be and be seen to be both legally and ethically correct.

"The Governing Council believes that the probe commission was properly constituted in accordance with the IPL Operational Rules, and has consequently decided that an appeal should be filed in the Honourable Supreme Court," he added.

"All the members were apprised of the present situation (in the wake of the court order). The meeting was only called for discussing IPL Governing Council's outcome. That was the only agenda. So for that matter also agenda was not circulated,"Patel said.

Srinivasan recused himself from the meeting while this decision was taken but returned after that. "This decision having been made, N Srinivasan rejoined the meeting and, in the light of the pending appeal to the Supreme Court, requested Jagmohan Dalmiya to continue discharging his functions at the BCCI for the present," Patel said.

"Elected President of the board is Mr Srinivasan and he has only suggested and requested Mr Dalmiya to continue the way we are functioning right now. We are glad that Dalmiya has accepted to work in this situation," Patel added.

Briefing reporters, the BCCI's Game Development Manager Ratnakar Shetty said BCCI vice-President Arun Jaitley explained the finer details of the High Court order to the IPL Governing Council.

"Today morning there was a meeting of the IPL Governing Council. Arun Jaitley explained the important points of the Bombay High Court order. There was a discussion in the committee and the committee decided to file an SLP (Special Leave Petition) in the Supreme Court," he said.

"The committee took the decision to replace members who have resigned. Sanjay Patel (Honorary Secretary) and Ravi Sawant (Treasurer) will replace Ajay Shirke and Sanjay Jagdale in the Ethics Commission.

"Mr Srinivasan recused himself from the IPL Governing Council meeting and it was only after that the meeting started and the decisions were taken," he added.

BCCI Vice-President Niranjan Shah, however, refuted suggestions that Srinivasan has been left isolated in the Board. "It is not a setback to Srinivasan and whatever decision we took today will help improve public perception about the BCCI," he said.