The Baroda Cricket Association expelled former Board of Control for Cricket in India secretary Jaywant Lele and two other office-bearers for alleged involvement in various financial irregularities and administrative lapses.
Former joint secretary Pradeep Desai and former treasurer Ramesh Dalvi are the other expelled officials, BCA secretaries Kiran More and M Samarjeet Gaekwad informed reporters in Baroda on Saturday.
The charges against the trio include signing long-term agreements worth Rs 1.20 crore for three One-Day Internationals without the BCA managing committee's approval, misguiding the committee to purchase illegal property which is actually a parking lot as per records of the Vadodara Municipal Corporation and misuse of 800 complementary passes for the March 2001 One-Day International match against South Africa in the city.
Despite asking the trio to appear before a two-man inquiry committee, which probed the various charges of irregularities, they failed to, More and Gaekwad said.
On the recommendation of the committee, comprising Piyush Dhanak and A V Indulkar, the BCA managing committee passed a resolution expelling the trio from membership of the association for life, More added.
The officials further alleged that the Income Tax department had issued demand notices to the BCA for Rs 1.10 crore, as Lele and the other two failed to apply and get exemption from the department from 1992 to 2000.
Despite raising queries related to the IT notice at the BCA meetings, Lele did not bother to reply to them, BCA managing committee member Sanjay Patel, who was also present, said.
The BCA is also considering filing criminal and civil complaints against the trio for recovery of Rs 14,97,000 as they had failed to produce any bills for the amount, Patel added.
Action unconstitutional, says Lele
Meanwhile, reacting to the decision, Lele said the action against him is unconstitutional as the BCA did not appoint a four-member committee to inquire into the charges.
"There cannot be less than four members in the committee. Therefore, it is unconstitutional and it only proves that the the present office-bearers of the BCA are known for taking such actions and behaving in such manner," Lele added.
