CHENNAI: Aditya Verma’s tirade against BCCI and N Srinivasan took a new turn on Monday, with Lalit Modi saying he is funding the Cricket Association of Bihar secretary’s battle in the court. Verma didn’t confirm or deny this, saying he doesn’t know the source of funds.
“I’m financing the petition against Srinivasan and others. There’s no harm in backing anybody who helps me,” Modi was quoted as saying by CNN-IBN. “BCCI wants to sweep everything under the carpet,” he said. The suspended IPL commissioner’s revelation is significant because the BCCI was suspecting there are others behind Verma’s ‘crusade’.
Contacted by TNIE, Verma said, “I don’t want to comment on this because it’s not important who is taking care of legal bills. All I know is Nalini Chidambaram is fighting our case. Let’s not talk about funding and say it’s good if people who are against BCCI’s corrupt ways come together.”
While a senior BCCI member refused to comment whether Modi’s involvement changes the complexion of the case, it can be noted that the former BCCI vice-president was suspended in 2010 and ousted from the board for life last year, on charges of financial and other irregularities. So far, nobody had acknowledged hiring the services of eminent lawyers such as Chidambaram and Harish Salve.
Modi’s disclosure also refutes the BCCI assumption that the cricket associations of Mumbai, Punjab and Vidarbha were funding Verma. In fact, board members have held informal discussion on this, even contemplating penalising these state units financially. Chidambaram represented Verma, the petitioner in the cases against BCCI, on Monday and according to him, the “full team of lawyers” will be present when the court resumes hearing on Tuesday. “The BCCI didn’t act on a lot of issues. All those should be addressed now,” said Verma.