BCCI suspends RCA after it elects Lalit Modi as president

Jaipur, May 6: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Tuesday suspended the Rajasthan Cricket Association (RCA) following the election of ousted Lalit Modi as the association president.

Earlier, in a major embarrassment for the Board, Modi returned as the president of one of it`s associate member states, Rajasthan. Under the Supreme Court directive, the results of Rajasthan Cricket Association (RCA) election was declared.

Last week, after postponing on many occasions due to legal issues, the Supreme Court has directed election officers to open the sealed envelope, which contains the votes of the state association, on May 6.

The RCA elections were held on December 19 last year under the supervision of two retired Supreme Court judges, NM Kasliwal and SP Pathak. The votes, casted by 33 district units, were submitted to the apex court in a sealed envelope.

Earlier, the BCCI had asked the RCA to dissociate itself from Modi, or face action after the latter was banned for life for financial irregularities in the Indian Premier League (IPL) in September 2013.

However, Modi – riding on the Rajasthan Sports Act 2005, contested the election against Rampal Sharma for the post of president. The former Commissioner of the Indian Premier League was seeking to return to cricket administration.

In January, the Supreme Court had deferred the release of the results of the RCA elections. The bench headed by Justice A R Dave also agreed to hear the objections raised by the BCCI over Lalit Modi contesting the election before declaring the results if Modi comes out as a winner.

Earlier:

Lalit Modi elected as RCA President, despite BCCI ban

Jaipur, May 6: Former IPL commissioner Lalit Modi was today elected President of the Rajasthan Cricket Association, setting the stage for yet another round of legal tussle between him and a livid BCCI, which had threatened to ban RCA in anticipation of this result.

The election was conducted in December last year but the results were sealed following a Supreme Court directive. After much deliberation, the result was finally announced by a court-appointed observer here today.

As expected Modi won by a landslide margin, polling in 24 out of 33 votes, while his opponent Rampal Sharma earned just five.

The administrator, who has been living in London for the past four years, was allowed to contest the RCA elections held on December 19 last year under the supervision of a Supreme Court-appointed observer.

Among other office-bearers, Somendra Tiwari was elected as the new secretary, while Pawan Goyal won the treasurer's post. Mehmood M Abdi, a close confidante and legal counsel of Modi, has been elected as the deputy president of the RCA.

Modi was slapped with a life ban by the BCCI on September 25 last year after its disciplinary committee found him guilty on eight charges of "indiscipline and misconduct". he has been.

After Modi entered the fray in the RCA elections, BCCI had challenged the Rajasthan Sports Act, 2005 which allowed the former IPL chief to contest the presidential polls despite being banned for life by the Board.

Modi's re-election is being seen a massive blow to current BCCI President N Srinivasan, who has been forced to step aside due to the ongoing Supreme Court-monitored probe into the IPL betting and spot-fixing scandal.

Modi has never minced words in criticising Srinivasan, calling him corrupt on several occasions.