Lalit Modi Gets Massive Legal Relief In BCCI Case, Will He Re Join IPL?

Lalit Modi was cleared by the Tribunal in the 2009 IPL controversy [Source: AFP]

Former IPL Chairman Lalit Modi has been granted major relief in the IPL 2009 Foreign Exchange Management case pertaining to the scheduling of IPL 2 in the 2009 season. Appellate Tribunal’s verdict was in Modi’s favour, stating that he was not responsible for the alleged violations.

The Appellate Tribunal under SAFEMA delivered the verdict in Modi’s favour on July 16, and the former Chairman of the biggest T20 league breathed a sigh of relief in a case that has been going on for ages.

What was the Lalit Modi controversy related to IPL 2009?

The controversy erupted after the IPL 2009 season, which was supposed to take place in India, was shifted to South Africa due to the General Elections. The issue arose due to foreign exchange remittances made for hosting the tournament in a foreign country (South Africa), without a formal approval of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).

11 showcase notices were issued in Modi’s name, and penalties were imposed on six matters, pertaining to an amount of INR 10.65 crore. Lalit Modi subsequently filed six appeals before the Tribunal.

Modi reacts after winning the battle

The former IPL Chairman reacted to his victory by stating that the Tribunal had rejected the basis on which the Enforcement Directorate had filed a case against him.

“The Tribunal has rejected the central premise on which the Enforcement Directorate’s case against me had been built. It held that the principal foreign remittances relating to the staging of IPL 2009 in South Africa were current account transactions, not capital account transactions, thereby overturning the foundation of the earlier findings,” Modi said as quoted by Cricbuzz.

Modi reveals he didn’t do anything wrong

The 62-year-old also stated that the Tribunal had concluded that he was not responsible for BCCI’s compliance with FEMA regulations, as the verdict went in his favour after a long battle.

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“The Tribunal also found that I was neither responsible for BCCI’s statutory FEMA compliance nor vested with the financial authority alleged by the Enforcement Directorate, and it has set aside the penalties imposed on me in the principal proceedings. This marks the conclusion of what has been the single most significant legal matter arising from the 2009 South Africa IPL,” Modi said.

“For over sixteen years I have consistently maintained one simple position: I acted in good faith, in the best interests of Indian cricket and the IPL, and committed no personal wrongdoing," he added.

The former BCCI member also revealed that in order to save the tournament's future (IPL), the competition had to be shifted to South Africa.

Lalit Modi recently slammed BCCI official for blackmailing players

Lalit Modi being outspoken is known to everyone, and a couple of months back, he reacted to a report of Cricblogger, claiming his source had confirmed that the individual responsible for corruption and blackmailing of the IPL cricketers was the Secretary of BCCI Vice-President, Rajiv Shukla.

Cricblogger reported that a young cricketer, who had been recently scouted by the IPL, was approached by the Secretary of a prominent board member. The Secretary demanded a commission in order to help the player bag an IPL contract.

Reportedly, the player denied any help to secure an IPL contract, and the Secretary has been using his personal information as a means to extort money.

Reacting to the reports, Lalit Modi broke his silence and revealed that person to be Rajiv Shukla's secretary.

"Just learnt from my many sources - the man is shockingly #rajivshukla secretary - this needs to be seriously looked into. How low can people go."

What are the possibilities of Lalit Modi rejoining the IPL?

There is no denying that the creation of the IPL has been Lalit Modi’s brainchild, but it has been more than a decade since he worked closely with the world’s biggest T20 franchise league.

Interestingly, the Tribunal might have cleared Modi of the 2009 IPL controversy, but he still has criminal charges against him. He was suspended and handed a lifetime ban by the BCCI in 2013 following allegations of financial irregularities and misconduct.

The Indian authorities have been running after him for money laundering cases and FEMA violations, and he has yet to be cleared of those charges.

Hence, the IPL founder might not get an easy passage, and he might not be able to join the IPL 2027 in any capacity, even if he wants to.

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