BCCI files FIR against Lalit Modi in Chennai

BCCI secretary N Srinivasan on Wednesday lodged criminal complaints against Lalit Modi with Chennai city police commissioner T Rajendran. Srinivasan alleged financial misappropriation to the tune of Rs 469 crore by the former chairman of the Indian Premier League (IPL).

The complaints were filed as a follow-up to last month’s AGM of the Board of Control for Cricket in India. The AGM had authorised Srinivasan to take the matter to the police.

Srinivasan said “various acts” of Modi attracted penal action under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and accused him of misappropriating funds by rigging media right bids and free commercial air time. “There are a lot of charges against Modi for various acts which have attracted the IPC,” Srinivasan said after filing the complaints.

He chose Chennai to file the case because the BCCI is registered under the Tamil Nadu Societies Act.

“The AGM decided that a comprehensive police complaint must be lodged,” Srinivasan added. The main charges pertain to media rights (misappropriation of Rs 425 crore), security issues (Rs 25 crore) and free commercial air time (Rs 29 crore).

Srinivasan met the police commissioner personally with his advocates and filed the complaints. Later, Rajendran told reporters that the police would look into the complaints. “Appropriate action would be taken after studying the complaint,” he stated.

The FIR comes close on the heels of Modi lashing out at Srinivasan for scrapping Rajasthan Royals and Kings XI Punjab from IPL 4.