The Bombay high court asked the Board of Control for Cricket in India on Wednesday to make a firm commitment that it will not award the four-year telecast rights contract for cricket matches to any third party other than Zee Telefilms Ltd and ESPN-Star Sports Ltd until the legal dispute between the two parties on the issue is decided.
Chief Justice Dalveer Bhandari and Justice Dhananjay Chandrachud adjourned the matter for hearing in the post-lunch session to enable the BCCI to make a statement in this regard.
Counsel for ESPN-Star Sports and Zee Telefilms urged the court for a firm commitment from the BCCI following reports in a section of the media wherein BCCI president Jagmohan Dalmiya was quoted as saying that in case the dispute between ESPN-Star Sports and Zee Telefilms drags on, the Board may consider giving the contract to Prasar Bharati.
The judges said they would hear the arguments of both sides on September 21 on a petition filed by ESPN-Star Sports challenging the BCCI's decision to award the US $308 million contract to Zee Telefilms Ltd for telecast rights of cricket matches to be played between October 2004 and September 2008.
Zee Telefilms Ltd on Tuesday filed an affidavit in the high court saying that its board of directors is not agreeable to a suggestion put by the division bench for re-bidding.
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