New Delhi: IPL chairman Lalit Modi has decided to move to court against the IPL governing council meeting scheduled to be held on Monday, April 26.
Modi is understood to be considering the option of moving to Bombay High Court on Friday for an injunction on the IPL governing council meeting.
Modi's case will be represented by renowned attorneys Ram Jethmalani and Harish Salve against the IPL meeting which will decide the beleaguered chairman's fate.
Modi had questioned the legality of the governing council meeting on April 26 saying that he alone had the power to convene such a meeting by virtue of being the IPL chairman.
Modi wanted the meeting to be convened on May 1 as he wanted time to compile all the documents and prepare his defense.
There is intense speculation that the governing council will pass a resolution to oust Modi in Monday's meeting irrespective of whether the IPL commissioner attends the meeting or not.
Earlier in the day, BCCI rejected embattled Lalit Modi's contention that the April 26 IPL governing council meeting was illegal and made it clear that it would go ahead with the meeting as per schedule.
"It is his view point, everybody is entitled to their viewpoint," BCCI president Shashank Manohar said when asked what he thinks about Modi's contention that the meeting was unauthorised.
The BCCI also disagreed with Modi's stand that secretary N Srinivasan could not convene the governing council meeting merely because he is part of an IPL franchise.
"It is not a question of owner. He (Srinivasan) is not calling the meeting as an owner of the team and in the board constitution, the secretary is the convenor of all meetings," Manohar said.
"Whether there is conflict of interest is not an issue because Mr Srinivasan, when this issue had cropped up, had sought the permission of Mr Sharad Pawar, who was the president of the board then.
"Mr Pawar had granted him permission to bid and it is not Mr Srinivasan who is bidding, it was India cement which is bidding and after his bid was accepted it was confirmed by the general body," he added.
Manohar also said while BCCI was aware of Srinivasan's stakes, it was unaware that Modi's relatives and friends had stakes in the franchise and deals.
"Mr Srinivasan was a declared bidder. If Modi and his relatives had a share in any of the franchises, he ought to have declared it at the meeting. I was not a member of governing council then. He ought to have told everybody," he said.
Manohar also said that he had asked Modi not to disclose the details of all the franchises because there were serious breach of obligation between the Kochi franchises and the board and they were contemplating legal action.
"The original contract for eight teams was signed in January 2008. I was not a member of the governing council then. Now for the first time on April 11 Modi leaks by twitter the names of Kochi franchises," Manohar said.