Gone in 11 minutes: BCCI bans Lalit Modi for life

It’s ‘Game ‘Over’ for the man who gave us the IPL.
On Wednesday, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) banned Lalit Kumar Modi for life. At its Special General Body Meeting (SGM) in Chennai president N Srinivasan was in the chair board officials came with a one-point agenda. And they sealed the former vice-president’s fate in 11 minutes. The decision was unanimous and there was no need for a vote.

“...Mr Lalit Modi is guilty of committing acts of serious misconduct and indiscipline, and therefore, in exercise of powers as per Regulation 32 of the memorandum and rules and regulations of the board, Mr Lalit Modi be and is hereby expelled from the BCCI. He shall forfeit all his rights and privileges as administrator,” BCCI secretary Sanjay Patel said in a statement. “He shall not in future be entitled to hold any position or office, or be admitted in any committee or any member or associate member of the board.”

It is learnt that Modi wrote a letter to the members of the BCCI, requesting them to defer the decision as the matter was sub-judice.

The board’s disciplinary committee, comprising Arun Jaitley and Jyotiraditya Scindia, had submitted a 134-page report in July. They had held Modi guilty of eight charges, including financial irregularities and indiscipline.

An official present at the meeting had this to say: “It was a short meeting. Not a single official raised his voice against the decision to ban Modi. The members unanimously decided to bar him for life. And that includes the IS Bindra-headed Punjab Cricket Association which was represented by secretary MP Pandove.” Bindra, for the record is a Modi backer.

Another official said the members had come with a clear-cut plan. “Modi knew he would be banned. He had admitted the same on a news channel on Tuesday evening. So the meeting went on expected lines. Yes, Modi did a great job as IPL chairman. But whatever he did apart from that was not right.”

Meanwhile, Modi has promised to fight back. In other words, his ‘war’ against Srinivasan is not over yet.