Green Signal for Modi to contest RCA election

Jaipur: Clearing the way for Lalit Modi to contest the Rajasthan Cricket Association (RCA) elections, Justice N M Kasliwal today ruled that elections would be held under the Sports Act.

Today`s ruling removed the compulsion that the person, wanting to contest the elections should be a domicile.

Justice (retired) Kasliwal was appointed as the observer by the Apex court for the elections, scheduled for December 7.

While the candidature of Modi has been cleared but there still are some doubts over C P Joshi as the question of cut off still looms large.

Justice Kasliwal after listening to the debate on `method and procedure` to be adopted for the election ruled that if the bye-laws are going against the act then the provisions of the Sports Act would prevail.

That affectively means that the by-laws which were added to thwart Modi from contesting the elections were not granted sanctity by the Kasliwal.

The bylaws which were added to the provisions to the constitution of the RCA, specified that any person willing to contest the elections will have to fulfill certain conditions apart from the provisions given out in the Sports Act.

These new conditions included that the person has to be the Domicile of state, should not hold post in any other state associations and also should have completed a full four year term in district association.

These conditions meant that former President Modi was not eligible since he is not a resident of Rajasthan and he also holds post of vice president in Punjab cricket association.

It is still not clear whether Modi would fight the election keeping in view his tense relations with the state Government.

The Supreme Court in its directive dated November 3 had scheduled the election for December 7 which is to be held by an ad-hoc body under supervision of Justice Kasliwal.

But the notification and the list of office bearers which was disclosed by the adhoc body had sparked a sharp reaction from rival camp.

Taking a cut-off date of November 3, which is also the day of Supreme Court order, the adhoc committee had ensured through few other bye laws of constitution that the likes of former president Lalit Modi and central minister C P Joshi were not eligible to contest the RCA elections.

PTI