IPL commissioner Lalit Modi's charity under microscope 02/06/2009 |
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Lalit Modi was at Lord's yesterday to launch the charitable British Asian Cup but the Indian Premier League commissioner's previous commitments to good causes are the subject of a court case in India.
Four days after terrorist bombs killed dozens in Jaipur on 13 May last year, a match involving the Rajasthan Royals franchise went ahead in the city. In an on-the-field ceremony Modi handed over a cheque for £780,000 to the Rajasthan Chief Minister's Relief Fund.
But not all the money cleared in its bank account and Nagrik Morcha, a nongovernmental organisation, brought accusations to the Rajasthan high court in March that Modi was guilty of "cheating and forgery". Modi was granted "anticipatory bail", ensuring he would not be held in custody for what is otherwise a non-bailable offence.
Modi's lawyers told the court that the cheque was merely "symbolic" of the IPL's intention to contribute to the fund, and that all but £26,000 had reached its destination. The rest, they added, "could have been paid in total but due to financial crises two of the sponsors, namely Citibank and Kingfisher, withheld the amount due to be paid."
A proportion of the proceeds from Saturday's match between the Rajasthan Royals and Middlesex is due to go to the British Asian Trust, a Prince of Wales charity focusing on the subcontinent. Hitan Mehta, a spokesman for the British Asian Trust, said: "We needed the IPL's permission to run the match. We're not worried in any way. All that Lalit is doing here is to sanction the match."
(Source: Guardian.co.uk)
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