BCCI's actions should not betray faith of cricket fans: HC

Mumbai, Sep 7 (UNI) The Board for Control of Cricket in India (BCCI) should not become the centre of politics, it should not become a tool for musclemen, merchants or media barons and power brokers, the Bombay High Court observed in its order while dismissing a public interest litigation challenging BCCI vice-president Lalitkumar Modi's election.

A division bench comprising Chief Justice Swatanter Kumar and Justice S C Dharmadhikari further noted that the cricket controlling body has been performing an important task and ''its actions should not jeopardise or shake faith of cricket fans and common people in India''.

These observations have found place in the ruling on a petition challenging Modi's election on the ground that he has been convicted for drug trafficking in the United States while studying there. The petitioner had contended that the BCCI rules prohibit any person convicted for possesing or anyway linked with trafficking of banned drugs and hence, Modi could not have been elected in the first place and cannot continue as vice president of the BCCI.

But the court in its ruling observed that the conviction was in February 1985 and elections have been held more than two decades thereafter. The prohibiting rules were adopted by the Board as late as in February 2001.

The court observed that applying the regulations and prohibitions at this late a stage would not be fair, just and proper, and dismissed the petition without going into details of the merits of the case.

UNI