Shetty serves legal notice to MCA

The Mumbai Cricket Association has decided to consult its lawyers before replying to the legal notice it received from former vice-president Ratnakar Shetty asking for the five-year-ban imposed on him to be lifted.

"We have received the legal notice and will take appropriate action on it after our lawyers go through it. The notice wants the ban to be lifted by us and an unconditional apology tendered to him," a top MCA source said.

"We have been given 48 hours to reply to the notice (sent by Shetty on Thursday)," the source added.

Shetty, who has served the association in various capacities over the last three decades, was banned by the MCA for raising the possibility of black marketing of tickets of the T20 game between India and Pakistan by some of its office-bearers.

The match was held in Ahmedabad last December.

The MCA imposed the ban on June 3 after giving Shetty an opportunity to hear the allegations levelled at the association's AGM, held on March 22, before replying to the show cause notice served on him.

Shetty, who is also General Manager (Game Development) in the Board of Control for Cricket in India, heard the voice recordings of the AGM's proceedings on May 28 and replied to the show cause notice the next day, before MCA decided to impose the ban.

The ban prevents the senior cricket administrator from taking part in any activities of the association, including contesting its elections, which are due in August.

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