High Court clears decks for Delhi Test

Responding to a late DDCA petition, the high court on Wednesday directed the Municipal Corporation of Delhi to issue a provisional occupancy certificate, one of two clearances the association needed to ensure the capital would indeed host the match after the cricket control board had set a deadline of November 17 to get necessary permission from government agencies.

A two-member bench of the court also appointed Justice Mukul Mudgal to oversee preparations for the match pending his approval while adjourning the hearing till the morrow when it is to hear final arguments from the DDCA and the state government.

However, there is still the matter of entertainment tax arrears to the tune of Rs 24.4 crore pending against the DDCA which the excise department of the Delhi government has to furnish, That may however, now be more of a formality with the court virtually paving the way for the game.

As it is, the BCCI’s deadline has fallen by the wayside with a final decision on the fate of the match pending even though the board had agreed to a day’s extension. With yet another hearing to go, it may have to shift the goalposts again as the DDCA is so deep in the mire that there are no ready solutions to the complicated tangle of indifference, inefficiency and now alleged corruption that plague the association.

However, welcoming the relief extended by the high court, former India opener and DDCA vice-president Chetan Chauhan told PTI that things would now fall in place. “A major hurdle has been crossed and we have got relief. We also welcome Justice Mudgal to oversee the match and its organising,” Chauhan said after the day’s hearing.

“He (Mudgal) is a good man, a cricket lover and very reasonable. He is very impartial and we are happy to carry on our duties under his guidance.”

Chauhan said he was hoping that the issue of the entertainment tax arrears would be resolved by Thursday. “The final hurdle has been crossed and the discussion on entertainment tax will be brought up in tomorrow’s hearing. We are not running away from it but it should be reasonable,” he said. Pune though remains as the standbye venue for the fourth Test match in the event things do not come out the way the DDCA is hoping.