Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) President Shashank Manohar today gave a clean chit to Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar, saying neither the senior politician nor his relatives were involved in bidding for the Indian Premier League (IPL) teams.
The clean chit to Pawar comes at a time when the Opposition parties have strongly demanded the constitution of a joint parliamentary committee (JPC) to probe the alleged involvement of the minister and his protégé, and Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel, in some of the IPL controversies.
Manohar’s statement has given much-needed relief to Pawar, who had announced that he and his organisation, the Nationalist Congress Party, were prepared for any inquiry by the JPC. Pawar, as well as his daughter Supriya Sule, have always denied any involvement in IPL.
However, Sule’s admission that her husband Sadanand held 10 per cent equity in Multi Screen Media (MSM) had given a handle to the Opposition to step up its demand for Pawar’s resignation.
On Sadanand Sule’s reported stake in MSM (formerly Sony Entertainment Television), which has been raided by Income Tax officials, NCP spokesperson D P Tripathi said, “He does not own a share in the company.” Sadanand Sule had been associated with Sony Television even before IPL was born, he added.
BCCI not given 5% transaction fee for IPL share transfer
BCCI President Shashank Manohar on Monday said actor Shilpa Shetty and her husband, Raj Kundra, who were sold 12.5 per cent of Rajasthan Royals’ franchise stakes by the original owners —Emerging Media of United Kingdom — were not named as shareholders in the documents available with the Board.
Manohar added that the Board was also awaiting a similar fee from the Kings XI Punjab franchises, as Bollywood star Preity Zinta, a stakeholder, was not holding a single share when the bid for the Mohali franchise was successfully made by her.
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He told reporters after the Indian Premier League Governing Council meeting that the Council’s permission was not taken in these cases and due share of 5 per cent transaction fee was not paid to the BCCI.
“There was a company based in UK by the name of Emerging Media IPL. The company was owned by a single individual, Manoj Badale. The company started four months before the bid. His bid was accepted. However, the agreement is with Jaipur IPL,” Manohar stated. Manohar also said that the agreement was signed by two other persons who were not part of the original bid.
No entertainment tax on IPL-3 in Maharashtra
Despite a snub from the Comptroller & Auditor General (CAG), Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan on Monday said the state government would not impose entertainment tax on IPL matches played in the state during the third season. “It is not possible to levy tax on IPL since the season is over,” Chavan told reporters here.
To a question on whether IPL season four would be taxed, he said the Cabinet would take a decision on the issue.
BCCI chief can’t shrug responsibility, says CBDT source
Indian cricket board chief Shashank Manohar may have rubbished Lalit Modi’s claims that all decisions on the Indian Premier League (IPL) were collectively taken by the governing council, but according to the income-tax law, the person responsible for managing the affairs of the cricket association would also be held responsible for tax evasion.
“They cannot shrug responsibility. According to the Income Tax Act, the person managing the affairs of BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) would be held responsible for any irregularities from the income-tax perspective. Even if Modi has falsified, others in the governing council of IPL are also part to it,” said an official in the Central Board of Direct Taxes, who did not wish to be identified.