Kirti Azad, Bishan Singh Bedi quizzed on DDCA mess

In its fifth hearing, the committee heard and quizzed the four witnesses over various alleged irregularities in the DDCA. The proceedings were held in the MLA lounge of the Delhi assembly.

While the four witnesses arrived 10 minutes before the committee members, the nine-member committee chaired by AAP MLA Saurabh Bhardwaj had one member — AAP MLA Amanatullah Khan — missing. Secretary of the Delhi legislative assembly Prasanna Suryadevara also posed two questions to the the witnesses. While Bhardwaj administered the oath to the witnesses, he also told them to excuse themselves while other witnesses deposed.

However, Azad said that they worked as a team and there was no secrecy between them.

Azad, who was suspended by the BJP last year for ‘anti-party activities’ after he attacked union finance minister Arun Jaitley over the alleged DDCA corruption row, said that the other witnesses and he had written more than 200 letters to Jaitley pointing out the irregularities in the cricket body, however, they had received no reply. The letters, he said were written while Jaitley served the president of the DDCA from 1999 to 2013.

Azad said that apart from several allegations of proxy companies, over-age players selected in the under 16 team and 62 Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO), the DDCA had served alcohol in its clubs on January 25, August 15 and October 2. “This is an insult to national honour,” he said.

Bhardwaj said the committee had asked the excise commissioner to find out why an FIR was not filed in the case.

“Are you sure you won’t have to take instructions from (Lieutenant Governor) Mr Jung?” Azad asked. Bhardwaj, however, said that the committee appointed by the legislative assembly was independent.

Azad was asked pointedly if he had any ‘personal enmity’ with the former DDCA president and how he could have been held responsible for the alleged irregularities. He said that that the internal fact-finding committee of the DDCA and the SFIO violations speak for themselves and could not have been a result of a personal grouse he had held against Jaitley.

Bhardwaj said, “We will examine the documents and if we feel it is necessary we will get them forensically examined. We are currently in the fourth session of the assembly. We will submit our report by the sixth session,” he said.

Leader of Opposition in the Delhi assembly Vijender Gupta said, “Having failed to subvert the defamation case by Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in the courts, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has now entered into a conspiracy to defame him through the specially created unconstitutional enquiry committee to probe DDCA affairs by making public the proceedings of the committee.”

He said that DDCA is constituted under the Company Affairs Act which is a subject lying within the jurisdiction of the central government. “Kejriwal’s Government being a state government cannot intervene in the matter. Kejriwal government must not defame the Jaitley through the back door of the committee on DDCA. The Committee itself is unconstitutional because it violates the Rule of 264 of  Legislative Assembly of NCT of Delhi, Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business. This Committee has been illegally working till date. Even today’s meeting is unauthorized and need not have been called,” said Gupta.