BCCI has pecuniary interests in Lalit Modi case: Lawyers

The Bombay high court today reserved its judgment on suspended Indian Premier League (IPL) commissioner Lalit Modi's petition, challenging constitution of Board of Control for Cricket in India's (BCCI) disciplinary committee that is probing allegations of fraud against him.

The division bench of chief justice Mohit Shah and justice DY Chandrachud is expected to come out with a decision tomorrow.

Modi's lawyers alleged that the BCCI cannot give a clean chit to the suspended IPL chairman because it would harm its "pecuniary interests".

One of the allegations is that Modi kept BCCI in the dark regarding MSM (Sony) agreement to pay $80 million as facilitation fee to World Sports Group for IPL media rights.

Modi's lawyers, senior counsels Ram Jethmalani and Aspi Chenoy, argued that Arun Jaitley and Chirayu Amin were part of general body of BCCI which decided to terminate agreement with Sony in June this year, when it came to know about facilitation fee deal. BCCI later entered into fresh agreement with Sony.

They argued that anybody who was party to the decision to terminate has to be "pre-disposed" against Modi, hence Amin and Jaitley must recuse themselves from disciplinary panel.

Advocate Chinoy argued that after terminating the earlier media rights agreements -- on the ground that they were fraudulent -- if disciplinary committee were to find Modi innocent, BCCI would face suits for wrongful termination.

"BCCI has pecuniary interest in inquiry", Jethmalani said earlier.