Hyderabad: Notwithstanding the BCCI's threats, the Rajasthan Cricket Association on Thursday went ahead with its election in which former IPL commissioner Lalit Modi is a contestant for the post of president. The votes have been sealed and will be sent to the Supreme Court.
While, the Modi group is confident of a comfortable win, it will have to wait for the results till January 6, as the two observers appointed by the Supreme Court to conduct the elections refused to declare the results They citied an order from the apex court in which it said that the result would remain subject to the final outcome of a special leave petition filed by former secretary of the RCA Kishore Rungta.
The matter comes up for hearing before a division bench of Justice Anil R.
Dave and Justice Deepak Mishra on January 6.
Rungta had filed the SLP particularly challenging Rajasthan Sports Act of 2005 that abolished individual members' voting rights.
Earlier, ignoring an advisory from incumbent president C.P. Joshi, all district associations participated in the elections.
Joshi had forwarded a mail from BCCI secretary Sanjay Patel warning that the RCA would be stripped of its affiliation if it allowed Modi to contest the election.
Although, there are 33 district associations, 37 votes were polled. While 29 districts cast single votes, four districts associations were allowed to cast two votes because of disputes between two factions.
Modi loyalist Amin Pathan who is running for the post of vice-president claimed a thumping victory. “Since 24 district asso ciations had proposed and seconded Modi's nomination, we are sure of a big victory,“ he said while adding that in last couple of days two more associations had joined their camp.
The problem, however, could be that in case the former IPL chief reclaims the post of RCA president, the RCA faces the risk of suspension by the BCCI as it had suspended and banned Modi for life for alleged financial irregularities. The Modi faction, however, tried to project the threat as a tussle between BCCI president N. Srinivasan and Modi rather than BCCI vs the RCA. “This is an armtwisting exercise by the BCCI to deter me from pursuing the FIR filed against Srinivasan and his son-in-law for matchfixing,“ said Modi's lawyer Mehmood Abdi.
The Modi camp also claimed that his nomination had been cleared by the two observers,Justice N.M. Kasliwal and Justice S.P. Pathak. “Since, the BCCI is also a party in that SLP , there is acquiesce of it in the appointment of the principal observer, it is legally bound to accept whatever verdict Justice Kasliwal gives,“ said Sanjay Dixit, former RCA president and secretary who is supporting Modi.
Newly-appointed lawyer of the RCA, Abhinav Sharma, said the warning issued by BCCI was tantamount to contempt of court as the elections were held as per order of the Supreme Court under the SLP of which the BCCI was also a party .
