‘They treated me like a mangy dog’
By Shantanu Guha Ray
Aditya Verma, the man who took on mighty BCCI, reflects on his struggles.
Aditya Verma, the bête noire of the world’s richest cricket board, has lived – for almost amonth – with a red colored embroidered scarf he got from the Dakshinewar Kali temple near Kolkata.
On a gloomy Thursday punctuated with constant drizzle, Verma carried it to the Supreme Court in the Indian Capital and silently touched it after the verdict.
For Verma, it was Kali, goddess of destruction and mother to millions of Hindu, who helped him win a 18 month-long courtroom battle.
“Mere paas (Kali) Ma hain,” said Verma, picking up lines from a Shashi Kapoor dialogue from the 1975 Bollywood blockbuster, Deewar.
Verma remembers that it was on a Thursday the Supreme Court observed Srinivasan needed to step down and today, a Thursday, the court reinforced its decision.
Verma says he is not an easy pushover, he belongs to Chapra, a small Bihar town home to rebel politician Jayprakash Narayan, and also Rajendra Prasad, India’s first president. “We fight till the end.”
It’s the first step
Verma, who looked and sounded tired, called the verdict the first step towards cricket’s spring-cleaning in a country where the game is a religion. “I have not won hands down, Srinivasan has a window to breathe,” said Verma, referring to the apex court’s verdict that offered the Chennaibased cricket czar the option of being the BCCI president, or own the Rs 3000 crore worth Chennai Super Kings.
Verma remembered June 2013 when he contended in the Bombay High Court that BCCI’s two-member internal probe panel investigating the IPL spot fixing issue was unconstitutional. Nine months later, based on his appeal, the Supreme Court proposed the ouster of Srinivasan and suspended two IPL teams.
BCCI tried to win me over
“The board tried hard to win me over, my phone rang non stop. I was told CAB would be recognized overnight, but I must drop all cases. I knew they would drop me the day I drop my cases. No one wins a bargain with the BCCI,” laughs Verma.
He remembers how the board even asked an external agency to probe who was providing “insider information” to him while the case was on. “I have gone through hell, even hell is an understatement,” says Verma, adding: “Srinivasan’s craze for power was Indian cricket face palm moment. He did whatever he wanted, and everyone supported him. Even former skippers would not raise any voice of protest.”
Verma sighs, and recovers to say he drew his actual strength from his lawyers, among them the veteran Harish Salve.
The son of former BCCI president NKP Salve was pushed to pick the brief by Bihar Congress leader Subodh Kant Sahai and the powerful Sharad Pawar, former ICC head and union agriculture minister. There was also a Puducherry-based industrialist who backed Verma to the hilt but he will not be named for “purely personal reasons”.
Sahai, in fact, has already told Verma to push for a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to clean IPL.
Verma’s Cricket Association of Bihar’s grouse with BCCI dates back to 2007 when the board rejected an appeal for recognition and favoured Jharkhand, carved out of Bihar. Verma knows he wasn’t a sole representative. In fact, two more bodies had claimed such status. “He gave us just five minutes time,” says Verma, who remembers standing outside the BCCI offices in Mumbai for days to plead CAB’s case. “They treated me like a mangy dog, looked at me as if Iwas a petty thief,” he says.
Verma says he nurtures loads of pains in his heart about cricket and Bihar. His wealthy father ran a successful pharma business in Chapra and loved cricket and died at home watching a Test match on television. He was the lone player to have represented Bihar in All India Universities meet. “I want Bihar cricket to flourish, it can happen only if the BCCI comes forward.”
Will that happen? “Hopefully, it will. Now the BCCI will have to listen to the Supreme Court, not a nuisance like me,” laughs Verma.
THE CSK STORY
They have been by far the most consistent team in the IPL. Led by MS Dhoni, CSK have reached the IPL playoffs six times, and have won the title twice. The franchise is owned by BCCI’s president-in-exile N Srinivasan’s company, India Cements Ltd. Srinivasan’s son-in-law Meiyappan was under the scanner after actor Vindoo Dara Singh, arrested for his alleged links with bookies, reportedly told the Mumbai police that he placed bets on Meiyappan’s behalf. Contrary to claims from India Cements that Meiyappan was merely a cricket enthusiast, the Supreme Court of India ruled that he was a team official who indulged in betting and leaked crucial information.
RR AFFAIR
Rajasthan Royals , winners of IPL’s inaugural edition in 2008, is owned by Emerging Media, Tresco International Ltd, Blue Water Estate Ltd , Kuki Investments Ltd and Raj Kundra and family. Kundra’s name surfaced in the 2013 spot-fixing scandal. He was allegedly in touch with bookies and had placed bets on matches. His passport was subsequently impounded. Not just Kundra, even a Royals’ cricketer Siddharth Trivedi had reportedly admitted to have taken money from the bookies only to return it back to them later. Royals had also been under the scanner for its shareholding pattern. One of the co-promoters of Emerging Media was Suresh Chellaram, brother-in-law of Lalit Modi (former IPL commissioner). It was alleged that Chellaram could get a good deal because of his ties with Modi.
RAMIFICATIONS OF THE LANDMARK JUDGMENT
Welcoming the Supreme Court verdict barring N Srinivasan from contesting BCCI election on grounds of conflict of interest, Justice Mukul Mudgal said that the ruling will affect all sports bodies. “It advances public law, administration of sports body and its fairness and also establishes the principle of conflict of interest which is present in every facet of life and this judgment will have far reaching consequences and ramifications,” Justice Mudgal said. Mirror elaborates the verdict:
No commercial interests
In the context of BCCI, no board official will be allowed to have a stake in franchises. The Supreme Court has called BCCI’s rule number 6.2.4, which authorises its officials to own a stake in IPL or Champions League T20 teams, as illegal. Srinivasan now will have to choose between Chennai Super Kings and the BCCI.
New BCCI chief?
Srinivasan, who is the India Cements managing director, the firm which owns the Chennai Super Kings, has to shed his equity in the CSK to contest the BCCI elections. Don’t be surprised if he sells his CSK stakes. If he doesn’t, he will not be allowed to contest the board elections, which will have to be held within six weeks. Obviously, he stands to benefit more by being the BCCI chief.
Future of CSK & RR
SC has recommended the formation of a separate body consisting of Justice Lodha, Justice Ravindran and Justice Bhan to decide on the future of CSK and RR. The independent body has been granted six months. Since the IPL is played in April-May, we should see the two teams in action this year as well.
Conducting public function
SC observed that although BCCI was an independent, private body, it has been conducting a public function and thus amenable to writ jurisdiction.
SHOOTING FROM THE LIP
Important to probe into allegations against @ramansundar He runs the show for #Srinivasan Glad that the SC has categorically stated that
- LALIT MODI
SC's 130-pg judgement shockingly upholds Rule 6.2.4, giving #CSK & Srinivasan an escape route on conflict of interest
- MINHAZ MERCHANT
The judgment is a major advancement in public law. Being the SC verdict, it affects all sports bodies in the country. Conflict of interest arises not only in sports but also in all public bodies
- JUSTICE MUKUL MUDGAL
It's not a moment to rejoice. There is nothing to be happy about the judgment, rather I am deeply saddened by the turn of events. Not for anybody but for the game that I have loved and lived all through. This is the tragedy of Indian cricket that Supreme Court had to intervene to settle a cricket dispute. And you don't feel happy about any tragedy
- BISHEN SINGH BEDI
It's a landmark judgment. I find I have been vindicated for fighting the conflict of interest case for the last six years in Madras High Court and Supreme Court. This decision by the Supreme Court will bring in structural changes in the BCCI which would definitely result in the improvement of the gentleman's game
- AC MUTHIAH
Srinivasan will certainly discuss with his legal team and take a call. The SC has given its verdict and obviously there are a lot of implications involved with any decision that is taken right now. There are underlying layers in the judgement and one needs to study it thoroughly and come to a conclusion. But I can assure you the majority of BCCI is still with Srinivasan
- A SRINIVASAN LOYALIST
I am happy Srinivasan is out. Many things have been happening in cricket for so long and this verdict will help in ending them. The need of the hour is to bring a change in cricket set-up
- SHARAD PAWAR
Aditya Verma, the man who took on mighty BCCI, reflects on his struggles.
Aditya Verma, the bête noire of the world’s richest cricket board, has lived – for almost amonth – with a red colored embroidered scarf he got from the Dakshinewar Kali temple near Kolkata.
Never leave home without it, priests of the 160 year-old temple told Indian cricket’s biggest gadfly.
On a gloomy Thursday punctuated with constant drizzle, Verma carried it to the Supreme Court in the Indian Capital and silently touched it after the verdict.
For Verma, it was Kali, goddess of destruction and mother to millions of Hindu, who helped him win a 18 month-long courtroom battle.
“Mere paas (Kali) Ma hain,” said Verma, picking up lines from a Shashi Kapoor dialogue from the 1975 Bollywood blockbuster, Deewar.
Verma remembers that it was on a Thursday the Supreme Court observed Srinivasan needed to step down and today, a Thursday, the court reinforced its decision.
Verma says he is not an easy pushover, he belongs to Chapra, a small Bihar town home to rebel politician Jayprakash Narayan, and also Rajendra Prasad, India’s first president. “We fight till the end.”
It’s the first step
Verma, who looked and sounded tired, called the verdict the first step towards cricket’s spring-cleaning in a country where the game is a religion. “I have not won hands down, Srinivasan has a window to breathe,” said Verma, referring to the apex court’s verdict that offered the Chennaibased cricket czar the option of being the BCCI president, or own the Rs 3000 crore worth Chennai Super Kings.
Verma remembered June 2013 when he contended in the Bombay High Court that BCCI’s two-member internal probe panel investigating the IPL spot fixing issue was unconstitutional. Nine months later, based on his appeal, the Supreme Court proposed the ouster of Srinivasan and suspended two IPL teams.
BCCI tried to win me over
“The board tried hard to win me over, my phone rang non stop. I was told CAB would be recognized overnight, but I must drop all cases. I knew they would drop me the day I drop my cases. No one wins a bargain with the BCCI,” laughs Verma.
He remembers how the board even asked an external agency to probe who was providing “insider information” to him while the case was on. “I have gone through hell, even hell is an understatement,” says Verma, adding: “Srinivasan’s craze for power was Indian cricket face palm moment. He did whatever he wanted, and everyone supported him. Even former skippers would not raise any voice of protest.”
Verma sighs, and recovers to say he drew his actual strength from his lawyers, among them the veteran Harish Salve.
The son of former BCCI president NKP Salve was pushed to pick the brief by Bihar Congress leader Subodh Kant Sahai and the powerful Sharad Pawar, former ICC head and union agriculture minister. There was also a Puducherry-based industrialist who backed Verma to the hilt but he will not be named for “purely personal reasons”.
Sahai, in fact, has already told Verma to push for a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to clean IPL.
Verma’s Cricket Association of Bihar’s grouse with BCCI dates back to 2007 when the board rejected an appeal for recognition and favoured Jharkhand, carved out of Bihar. Verma knows he wasn’t a sole representative. In fact, two more bodies had claimed such status. “He gave us just five minutes time,” says Verma, who remembers standing outside the BCCI offices in Mumbai for days to plead CAB’s case. “They treated me like a mangy dog, looked at me as if Iwas a petty thief,” he says.
Verma says he nurtures loads of pains in his heart about cricket and Bihar. His wealthy father ran a successful pharma business in Chapra and loved cricket and died at home watching a Test match on television. He was the lone player to have represented Bihar in All India Universities meet. “I want Bihar cricket to flourish, it can happen only if the BCCI comes forward.”
Will that happen? “Hopefully, it will. Now the BCCI will have to listen to the Supreme Court, not a nuisance like me,” laughs Verma.
THE CSK STORY
They have been by far the most consistent team in the IPL. Led by MS Dhoni, CSK have reached the IPL playoffs six times, and have won the title twice. The franchise is owned by BCCI’s president-in-exile N Srinivasan’s company, India Cements Ltd. Srinivasan’s son-in-law Meiyappan was under the scanner after actor Vindoo Dara Singh, arrested for his alleged links with bookies, reportedly told the Mumbai police that he placed bets on Meiyappan’s behalf. Contrary to claims from India Cements that Meiyappan was merely a cricket enthusiast, the Supreme Court of India ruled that he was a team official who indulged in betting and leaked crucial information.
RR AFFAIR
Rajasthan Royals , winners of IPL’s inaugural edition in 2008, is owned by Emerging Media, Tresco International Ltd, Blue Water Estate Ltd , Kuki Investments Ltd and Raj Kundra and family. Kundra’s name surfaced in the 2013 spot-fixing scandal. He was allegedly in touch with bookies and had placed bets on matches. His passport was subsequently impounded. Not just Kundra, even a Royals’ cricketer Siddharth Trivedi had reportedly admitted to have taken money from the bookies only to return it back to them later. Royals had also been under the scanner for its shareholding pattern. One of the co-promoters of Emerging Media was Suresh Chellaram, brother-in-law of Lalit Modi (former IPL commissioner). It was alleged that Chellaram could get a good deal because of his ties with Modi.
RAMIFICATIONS OF THE LANDMARK JUDGMENT
Welcoming the Supreme Court verdict barring N Srinivasan from contesting BCCI election on grounds of conflict of interest, Justice Mukul Mudgal said that the ruling will affect all sports bodies. “It advances public law, administration of sports body and its fairness and also establishes the principle of conflict of interest which is present in every facet of life and this judgment will have far reaching consequences and ramifications,” Justice Mudgal said. Mirror elaborates the verdict:
No commercial interests
In the context of BCCI, no board official will be allowed to have a stake in franchises. The Supreme Court has called BCCI’s rule number 6.2.4, which authorises its officials to own a stake in IPL or Champions League T20 teams, as illegal. Srinivasan now will have to choose between Chennai Super Kings and the BCCI.
New BCCI chief?
Srinivasan, who is the India Cements managing director, the firm which owns the Chennai Super Kings, has to shed his equity in the CSK to contest the BCCI elections. Don’t be surprised if he sells his CSK stakes. If he doesn’t, he will not be allowed to contest the board elections, which will have to be held within six weeks. Obviously, he stands to benefit more by being the BCCI chief.
Future of CSK & RR
SC has recommended the formation of a separate body consisting of Justice Lodha, Justice Ravindran and Justice Bhan to decide on the future of CSK and RR. The independent body has been granted six months. Since the IPL is played in April-May, we should see the two teams in action this year as well.
Conducting public function
SC observed that although BCCI was an independent, private body, it has been conducting a public function and thus amenable to writ jurisdiction.
SHOOTING FROM THE LIP
Important to probe into allegations against @ramansundar He runs the show for #Srinivasan Glad that the SC has categorically stated that
- LALIT MODI
SC's 130-pg judgement shockingly upholds Rule 6.2.4, giving #CSK & Srinivasan an escape route on conflict of interest
- MINHAZ MERCHANT
The judgment is a major advancement in public law. Being the SC verdict, it affects all sports bodies in the country. Conflict of interest arises not only in sports but also in all public bodies
- JUSTICE MUKUL MUDGAL
It's not a moment to rejoice. There is nothing to be happy about the judgment, rather I am deeply saddened by the turn of events. Not for anybody but for the game that I have loved and lived all through. This is the tragedy of Indian cricket that Supreme Court had to intervene to settle a cricket dispute. And you don't feel happy about any tragedy
- BISHEN SINGH BEDI
It's a landmark judgment. I find I have been vindicated for fighting the conflict of interest case for the last six years in Madras High Court and Supreme Court. This decision by the Supreme Court will bring in structural changes in the BCCI which would definitely result in the improvement of the gentleman's game
- AC MUTHIAH
Srinivasan will certainly discuss with his legal team and take a call. The SC has given its verdict and obviously there are a lot of implications involved with any decision that is taken right now. There are underlying layers in the judgement and one needs to study it thoroughly and come to a conclusion. But I can assure you the majority of BCCI is still with Srinivasan
- A SRINIVASAN LOYALIST
I am happy Srinivasan is out. Many things have been happening in cricket for so long and this verdict will help in ending them. The need of the hour is to bring a change in cricket set-up
- SHARAD PAWAR
