Modi wants Amin out of disciplinary panel

Suspended IPL commissioner Lalit Modi has objected to the presence of Chirayu Amin on the BCCI's three-man disciplinary committee that will probe the charges against him. This isn't the first time Modi has demanded a change in the panel - he had asked BCCI president Shashank Manohar to recuse himself from the committee, which Manohar duly did.

Amin, who was already a member of the disciplinary committee, was appointed the interim chairman of the IPL following Modi's suspension in April. At a special general body meeting held this past Saturday, the board voted unanimously to refer Modi's case to the committee.

Following the decision, Modi's lawyers sent a legal notice to the BCCI, claiming that Amin may have a grudge against their client, and should therefore be replaced on the panel. "It was Modi who had disclosed publicly that Amin was an investor who formed a part of the Pune consortium that made an unsuccessful bid for the two franchises this year," PTI quotes the notice as saying.

According to Modi, Amin was part of a consortium led by Pune-based construction company City Corporation that took part in the auction for the two new teams.

However, Manohar disputed Modi's version of events at the time, saying Amin's intention was to invest in the consortium only in the event of a successful bid, and that it was Modi who had urged the consortium to contact Amin in the first place. Had City Corporation been successful, Amin would have invested through Glycodin, one of his companies.

The other two members of the disciplinary committee are politicians Arun Jaitley, also a lawyer and BCCI vice-president, and Jyotiraditya Scindia, president of the Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association, who replaced Manohar.

Modi has been charged with financial irregularities relating to the bidding process for IPL franchises, the sale of mid-over ads and the sale of theatrical rights. He was also charged with colluding to set up a rebel league in England. Modi has denied all the charges and repeatedly accused Manohar and Srinivasan of harbouring personal grudges against him.