New Delhi : In a major setback to suspended IPL Commissioner Lalit Modi, the Indian Cricket Board on Wednesday rejected his demand for the recusal of Chirayu Amin and Arun Jaitley from the disciplinary panel investigating the charges of financial irregularities against him.
Setting August 18 as the next date for the disciplinary hearing, the Board refused to oblige Modi without specifying the reasons for the decision.
"The request of Mr Lalit Modi for recusal of certain members of the Disciplinary Committee is rejected," the BCCI said in a statement.
"The next hearing of the Disciplinary Committee is fixed for Wednesday August 18 at 7:30 pm at Hotel Taj Palace, New Delhi," it added.
Apart from Amin (the interim IPL chief) and Jaitley (BCCI vice-President), the three-member panel also comprises Congress MP and Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association chief Jyotiraditya Scindia.
The panel has met thrice so far and Modi has been absent on all the occasions, leaving it to his legal team to present his case against allegations of financial irregularities.
The last hearing of the panel took place on August 1 after which the committee reserved its order on the contentious recusal issue.
Modi's lawyer Mehmood Abdi had then stated that the arguments on their demand of recusal of panel members Jaitley and Amin were complete.
Modi has been insisting that Jaitley and Amin recuse themselves from the panel as they are also part of the BCCI, which has made the allegations against him.
Slamming the BCCI, Lalit Modi's lawyer Mehmood Abdi threatened to take legal action against the Board.
"We don't consider it as a fair order. We will take appropriate legal steps after consultations with senior counsels," said Abdi, reacting to the BCCI decision.
Asked whether it meant going to a court of law, Abdi said "that is not ruled out."
The Board rejected Modi's demand for the recusal of interim IPL Chairman Amin and BCCI Vice-President Jaitley from the three-member panel investigating the charges of financial irregularities against him.
It also set August 18 as the next date for the disciplinary hearing in Delhi.
The panel also comprises Congress MP and Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association chief Jyotiraditya Scindia. PTI
