Modi's lawyer confirms response by May 15

Lalit Modi, the suspended IPL chairman, will file his replies to the BCCI's chargesheet by May 15, his lawyer Mehmood Abdi confirmed on Tuesday. Abdi and the legal team are framing Modi's defence from the documents given by the BCCI.

He said only four of the ten charges against Modi in the show-cause notice carried documentary proof - the rest were verbal in nature.

"Let's go through the documents we have right now and then we will decide. As of now, yes, we are ready to file by May 15," Abdi said in Mumbai. "We had asked for some documents from the board. We needed documentary support for at least 10 references made in the show-cause notice out of which four have been provided to us today.

"The board secretary (N Srinivasan) has written in an email to Mr Modi that other references made in the show cause notice for which we wanted documentary support were oral transactions or verbal communications and there is no documentary proof for those."

Modi was suspended by BCCI on April 26, soon after the conclusion of the IPL, which sent him a show-cause notice asking him to reply to a slew of charges relating to the conduct of the high-profile Twenty20 league. Modi was alleged to have indulged in financial deals without the knowledge of the IPL Governing Council, bid-rigging and of behavioural pattern which was not acceptable.

Modi was previously expected to appear at the BCCI headquarters on Monday to respond in person to the charges. But the BCCI agreed, on his request, to extend the deadline by another five days as he wanted some more documents from the board that would help in preparing his defence.

Abdi said the four documents handed over to him included an agreement, two letters, one email and a copy of shareholding pattern of an IPL franchisee. It is reported that the emails and letters are related to Nimbus Communications, which holds the television rights to Indian cricket, domestic and international.

Abdi had already handed over all documents, from Modi's side, to the board. "So far they have not asked for anything more. In fact only last evening I had given them the second lot of documents which, from our side, is full and final. Still, if the BCCI want anything more from us we are ready to give."