BCCI to Suspend Rajasthan Cricket Association, Appoint Ad-hoc Body: Sources

Within hours of Lalit Modi being declared as the president of the Rajasthan Cricket Association in Jaipur on Tuesday, the Board of Control for Cricket in India has decided to suspend RCA and appoint an ad-hoc body to run its cricket affairs, according to well-placed BCCI sources. This is likely to trigger a new round of legal battle between the Board and the banned former Indian Premier League chairman, Modi.

The BCCI and former RCA chief Kishore Rungta are vehemently opposing Modi's return. Although Modi was formally declared RCA president by a court-appointed observer on Tuesday, the Board has been allowed to challenge the controversial Rajasthan Sports Act that enabled Modi to contest for the president's post for a second time. Modi first became president of RCA in 2005.

Ahead of the December 19 elections in Jaipur, the BCCI had threatened to suspend RCA for letting the banned Modi contest the polls. But after the Supreme Court allowed Modi to contest, the BCCI had to beat a hasty retreat. The BCCI even conceded 'defeat' in court after the votes were submitted to the top court in a sealed envelope.

Bimal Soni, a deputy president of the Rajasthan Cricket Association, feels the BCCI's fight with Modi is an "individual" one. While BCCI can take on Modi in the court of law, the Board has no right to ban RCA, feels Soni. "As far as RCA is concerned, Modi is a democratically elected president and enjoys three-fourth majority," said Soni.

Although banned by BCCI, Modi is free to run the RCA from exile, said Soni, adding that when Modi was president in 2005, he was based in Mumbai, not Jaipur. "He barely came to Jaipur twice a month. It doesn't matter where Modi resides," Soni said.