Lalit Modi defence team runs out of time, BCCI committee to reconvene
The disciplinary hearing being conducted against Lalit Modi will have to reconvene on 26 September after the defence didn't have time to complete their cross-examination Wednesday. The disciplinary committee
of the Board of Control for Cricket in http://www.senore.com/Cricket/India-c750 (BCCI) is conducting the probe against Modi, the former chief of the India Premier League. Modi is accused of shady financial deals and mismanagement of the league.
According to a press release made by the Indian cricket board, the cross examination of International Management Group official Peter Griffiths, was not completed and Modi’s legal team wanted more time. Griffiths
is a witness that the BCCI had brought against Modi, against whom there are charges of serious fraud and creation of a parallel cricket league without the permission of the BCCI.
The disciplinary committee had met for a couple of days, but the witnesses could not be brought forward because of a petition that Modi had filed in the High Court against the appointment of Chirayu Amin
and Arun Jaitley in the committee. Modi had alleged that the two have reasons to be biased against Modi and that will reflect in the result of the disciplinary committee’s findings. However, the High Court quashed the petition and the committee could continue
the hearing as planned on Wednesday.
The BCCI press release read, “The cross-examination of Peter Griffiths is still not concluded. Mr Kotwal, learned counsel for Lalit Modi says he may take some more time. The hearing has been adjourned to
September 26, 2010 as earlier scheduled,”
It also said that that the hearing will continue on September 27th and 28th as pre-planned and if needed, it can go on till the September 29th as well. The hearings on the first two days will be at http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Delhi-c780,
while on 29th it will take place in http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Mumbai-c820.
However, the suspended IPL chief Modi has objected to the presence of BCCI’s secretary N Srinivasan during the disciplinary committee proceedings. Mehmood Abdi, Modi’s lawyer and spokesperson said that the
presence of Srinivasan during the deliberations of the disciplinary committee was objectionable.
Abdi also criticised the BCCI for rushing through the probe instead of giving the defence any time to prepare for it after the High Court judgement.
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