BCCI slaps suspension on Dalmiya

The snakes and ladders Board game continues. Jagmohan Dalmiya was today suspended for 8216;anti-Board activity8217;.

The snakes and ladders Board game continues. Jagmohan Dalmiya was today suspended for 8216;anti-Board activity8217;. The new regime, led by Sharad Pawar delivered the knock-out punch to the Kolkata strongman, after making repeated allegations of financial irregularities.

Yesterday Pawar addressed the media in Mumbai, at the end of the working committee meeting, but kept mum on the Dalmiya issue. Today, BCCI treasurer N. Srinivasan said at Chennai: 8220;The suspension decision was taken largely because of irregularities in business transactions. Dalmiya can8217;t attend any BCCI meeting including the annual general meeting.8217;8217;

The suspension will remain in force till the disciplinary panel, comprising Pawar, vice-presidents Shashank Manohar and Chirayu Amin take a final decision, though BCCI secretary Niranjan Shah said the 8216;8216;maximum period of suspension is six months and before that committee has to come up with a decision.8217;8217;

Thus Dalmiya is cut out of the Board elections, due late September or early October. In Kolkata Dalmiya refused to comment on lawyers8217; advice, but Cricket Association of Bengal CAB officials feel it was an election security that the new regime bought.

Lawyers said in Kolkata that the ban 8220;doesn8217;t debar8221; Dalmiya from carrying on as CAB president. 8220;As per the Board8217;s existing constitution, Dalmiya can contest the annual CAB elections this July if he wants. The suspension only rules him out of the September/October BCCI elections,8221; said a source

One may recall that Pawar8217;s only loss in any election came at Kolkata in 2001, orchestrated by Dalmiya.

Five years back Dalmiya, as president, had suspended former president I.S. Bindra. The reason at that was again 8216;anti-Board activity8217;, but that was regarding Bindra8217;s comments on the functioning of the BCCI in wake of the match-fixing scandal. Today Bindra happens to be a key person in the Pawar camp. He, along with another vice-president, Lalit Modi, are seen as the prime Dalmiya baiters.

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Meanwhile, the CAB found a voice in the Bombay High Court8217;s granting anticipatory bail to Dalmiya on the issue. Saradindu Pal, of the CAB said that BCCI had acted in undue haste and 8220;announced the suspension of Dalmiya even before going into the merit of the case.8221;