The latest Lalit Modi-BCCI row

The tussle between Modi and the BCCI is unlikely to be resolved soon

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) recently suspended the Rajasthan Cricket Association (RCA) after it declared Lalit Modi, the former Indian Premier League (IPL) commissioner who had been banned by the BCCI, its president. Modi had been expelled for life in 2013 after the BCCI had found the former IPL commissioner guilty of misconduct. By then he had already left the country citing security reasons. He had stayed away from Indian cricket until he recently contested the election for RCA president.

When Modi participated in the RCA polls in January, the BCCI filed a petition against it in the Supreme Court. The BCCI stated it would withhold financial aid and privileges to the state board should he be named president. According to BCCI regulations, Modi’s ban, which came into effect last year, cannot be revoked for at least three years from the date-of-issue of the expulsion order.

Modi contested the RCA polls, despite being banned by the BCCI, claiming that the RCA is governed by the Rajasthan Sports Act. The results of the election were sealed pending judicial proceedings. When the results were revealed by a SC-appointed observer on 6 May, it was found that Modi had won. Within minutes of the announcement, BCCI suspended the board, stating that an ad-hoc committee will be set up to take care of cricket in Rajasthan.

The tussle between Modi and the BCCI is unlikely to be resolved soon, with the former calling the suspension illegal and stating he would challenge the order in court. It is said that Modi owes his rise in Indian cricket administration to Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje. When she lost the state’s Assembly elections in 2008, it also hastened Modi’s fall. Since her return as CM last year, he is thought to have regained his influence in the arena of India’s favourite game.

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