Why can’t cricket be run neatly?

“Why shouldn’t the game that is projected as a national sport be administered by people who are clean and fair?” Justice SC Dharmadhikari of the Bombay High Court remarked on Wednesday.

Hearing a PIL challenging the appointment of Lalit Modi as vice-president of Board of Cricket Control in India (BCCI), the court also said it would look into the possibility of  Modi’s past being raked up to create a disqualification. Chief Justice Swatanter Kumar and Justice Dharmadhikari have reserved their orders in the case.

The PIL, filed by cricket fan Chandravardhan Parekh, alleged that Modi had been convicted of drug trafficking in 1985 in the US. The petition alleged that Modi was found guilty of carrying more than 400g of cocaine and was also charged with kidnapping and assault. Parekh had urged the court to remove Modi from the post of vice-president and restrain him from holding any position in the BCCI.

However, on Wednesday, Modi’s advocate Janak Dwarkadas told the court that it would be unreasonable to take action against him for something he did in 1985.

He added that the ban on contesting elections could continue for maximum six years after his prosecution.