BCCI, CP Joshi still trying to stop Lalit Modi's return, complains lawyer

The Supreme Court appointed observer may have allowed him contest Rajasthan Cricket Association (RCA) polls, but BCCI and current president CP Joshi are doing everything to prevent Lalit Modi from fighting the elections, said former IPL commissioner's legal counsel Mehmood Abdi.

Despite being banned for life by the Indian Cricket Board, Modi had defiantly filed his nomination for the elections, which prompted a livid BCCI to threaten suspension of RCA for letting him back.

Now Joshi has also issued an advisory to all district associations to follow BCCI diktat and not elect Modi as the RCA president.

This move from Joshi, who was deserted by almost all of his supporters, has been severely criticised by Abdi, who himself is fighting for post of deputy president against Karunesh Joshi.

Abdi, who is Modi's spokesman, has termed the advisory issued by Joshi advising district cricket association to follow BCCI dictate not to elect Modi as RCA president in the election scheduled for tomorrow as "malicious and motivated".

In a statement issued here today, Abdi said that "C P Joshi is trying to do indirectly what he could not achieve directly".

"Mr. Joshi firstly tried to prepone the elections, which failed due to the intervention of the hon'ble Supreme Court of India that appointed two retired judges as independent observers to conduct and ensure fee and fair elections," said Abdi.

"Moreover, CP Joshi backed out of the fray sensing the mood of the RCA voters and put a proxy candidate in the new election schedule. Conduct of Shri Joshi is completely out of sync with an experience politician which he is and it is against the established election etiquettes, which forbids allurement or threat and duress to voters.

"Moreover, CP Joshi has no legal or moral authority to issue any directive, particularly about who to vote for and that too on the eve of the election," he added. Earlier in the day, Justice Kasliwal, the judge appointed by the Supreme Court to oversee the RCA elections as a principal observer, accepted Modi's candidature for the top post, rejecting the arguments put forth by his rival, Rampal Sharma's lawyer.

Modi is pitted against Rampal, who is believed to be close to Joshi.

"With open participation of Shri CP Joshi as proxy for BCCI shows that that the trail starting since yesterday is all procured and sponsored to deter the overwhelming of District associations to Lalit Modi. Why such mail did not come from BCCI about Lalit Modi's so called disqualification when the elections were scheduled for 24th November," questioned Abdi in the statement.

"Lalit Modi's candidature for RCA presidentship has been cleared by the two observers appointed by the Hon'ble Supreme Court of India after due deliberations. As such the order of Justice NM Kasliwal and Justice SP Pathak, supreme court appointed principal observer and the observer is binding on all concerned. It's like a judicial order," he further added.