The BCCIs lawyers have been working overtime over the last three months,ever since the Cricket Association of Bihar (CAB),an unrecognised body,went to court over the BCCIs internal probe in the IPL betting scandal. CAB secretary Aditya Verma,who initiated legal proceedings against the BCCI,emerged from the cricketing backwaters of Chhapra,Bihar,but he has influential friends. The extent of Vermas connections can be gauged from the legal team representing the CAB at the Supreme Court. It includes leading lawyer Harish Salve and Nalini Chidambaram,the wife of finance minister P Chidambaram. Verma counts among his friends senior Congress leader Subodh Kant Sahay,the MP from Ranchi. Sahay was by Vermas side after the SC passed the restraint order on Friday that prevents N Srinivasan from officially taking charge even after being re-elected BCCI president. On Monday,the apex court will continue to hear the CAB application that sought to restrain Srinivasan from contesting the post of BCCI president besides his participation in any BCCI committee. Sahay - the president of the Cricket Association of Jharkhand,a rival body of the BCCI-recognised Jharkhand State Cricket Association - and Verma have known each other for a decade. The president of the BCCI must be a person of unimpeachable integrity,which is not the case as Srinivasan is in charge. The objective of knocking on the doors of the courts is to clean up cricket administration. Verma and I are in this fight together, Sahay says. The one person who has supported me right through my battle with the BCCI is Mr. Sahay. He is like an elder brother to me and a guide, Verma says. People are saying that Sharad Pawar and Shashank Manohar are supporting me but I have not yet heard from them. Pawars backing Verma,48,however,does share a good equation with Pawar. Pawar saab had written to chief minister Nitish Kumar to consider the CABs plea for recognition in 2007. We are one of the associations from Bihar fighting for membership of the BCCI,and Pawar saab is a well-wisher of Bihar cricket, Verma says. There are also indications that Verma has the support of former BCCI president AC Muthiah,who is fighting his own battle against Srinivasan in the courts. N Srinivasans counsel RF Nariman on Friday accused Muthiah of clandestinely supporting the CAB petition. Vermas grouse against BCCI officials dates back to 2007,when representatives of rival associations including those of the JSCA were called to the BCCI headquarters to present their case for membership. They listened to us but didnt take us seriously. Now Jharkhand,which was carved out of Bihar,has a recognised association while we dont, Verma says. I have made at least a hundred trips to Mumbai with regard to fighting for the membership of Bihar cricket. This is not the first time I have taken on the BCCI.
