Probe panel moots suspension of DDCA

New Delhi: The three-member inquiry panel set up by the city government to probe the affairs of the Delhi and Districts Cricket Association (DDCA) has recommended that DDCA be immediately suspended by the BCCI in light of the large number of allegations against it.

"Considering the large number of allegations against DDCA, it should be immediately suspended by the BCCI," the committee said in its 247-page report.

A perusal of the report by the committee, headed by vigilance department principal secretary Chetan Sanghi, reveals that it went deeply into the affairs of the national capital's cricket association.

The report refers at length to a host of issues, including alleged irregularities in the cost of reconstruction of the Ferozshah Kotla Stadium and complaints of forgery in age verification certificates.

According to the report, the initial budget for the reconstruction work of Ferozshah Kotla Stadium was Rs.24 crore, but eventually it ended up costing Rs.114 crore.

It was also revealed during the investigation that there was no record of tenders for most of the contracts issued by the DDCA and many companies that were given contracts for construction and related work were actually owned by the office bearers of the cricket governing body.

The report also mentioned that the DDCA has contravened Section 211 of the Companies Act which stipulates mandatory disclosure of accounts by a non-profit company.

The committee also criticised the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for not doing more to reform the workings of the DDCA, and advised the Delhi government to request the Supreme Court to apply the Justice R.M. Lodha committee's advice regarding streamlining the functioning of the capital's cricket body.

The Supreme Court-appointed Justice Lodha committee, which investigated the Indian Premier League (IPL) betting scandal, is currrently overseeing the functioning of the DDCA.

The Delhi government set up the probe committee after now suspended Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Kirti Azad and former India captain Bishan Singh Bedi approached Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to intervene in the matter.

Interestingly, the report fails to make any mention of former DDCA president Arun Jaitley, who is battling allegations of financial mismanagement during his 13-year tenure.

Annexure II of the report which pertains to the statements given by various officials interviewed during the probe, does not mention Jaitley either.

The union finance minister's name is mentioned once in another annexure where election commissioners Babu Lal and G.P. Thareja supervising the sports working committee election have hinted at non-cooperation from the Jaitley-led DDCA during an investigation into a local club.