Development in Modi’s Fema case
Mumbai: The Bombay High Court on Wednesday permitted representatives of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to remain present during the cross examination of some witnesses by former IPL commissioner Lalit Modi in an alleged case of violation of the Foreign Exchange Management Act (Fema). A bench of justices SC Dharamadhikari and PD Naik, however, said that BCCI representatives who would attend the cross examination proceedings at the Enforcement Directorate’s office must not participate in, or prejudice the proceedings, in any way. The bench was hearing a plea filed by the BCCI. Its counsel, senior advocate Rafiq Dada, said that since the court, on a previous occasion, had permitted Lalit Modi to cross examine some witnesses, many of whom were previous members of the BCCI, the court must direct the Enforcement Directorate to permit BCCI representatives to remain present as well. On July 20, 2011, the ED had issued show cause notices to Modi and the BCCI under provisions of Fema regarding a bank account opened in South Africa by the BCCI ahead of the IPL cricket tournament in 2009. The ED was subsequently permitted by HC to summon, as witnesses, several former BCCI officials including Shashank Manohar, the then president, N Srinivasan, the then secretary, MP Pandove, treasurer, Ratnakar Shetty, CEO, Prasanna Kannan, manager, IPL, and Sunder Raman, COO, IPL, among others.