After 16 Years, Lalit Modi Cleared In IPL Case, Eyes Return To India

NEW DELHI-Former Indian Premier League (IPL) chairman Lalit Modi says he will return to India since he has been cleared in the principal proceedings arising from the 2009 IPL’s staging in South Africa after the Appellate Tribunal set aside the penalties imposed on him.

Announcing the verdict after more than 16 years of investigations and litigation, Modi said the tribunal rejected the Enforcement Directorate’s core case that the foreign remittances were capital account transactions, holding instead that they were current account transactions. He said the tribunal also found that he was not responsible for the Board of Control for Cricket in India’s (BCCI) statutory compliance under the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) or vested with the financial authority alleged by the Enforcement Directorate.

Calling it the end of the largest legal dispute arising from the 2009 South Africa edition of the IPL, Modi said, “This marks the end of what has been the single most significant legal matter arising from the 2009 South Africa IPL.”

He said he had consistently maintained that he acted in good faith, in the best interests of Indian cricket and the IPL, and committed no personal wrongdoing.

Modi said the tournament was shifted to South Africa after India’s general elections made it impossible to host the event at home, adding that staging the season overseas helped ensure the IPL’s survival.

He also said he had cooperated with the legal process throughout the proceedings and expressed gratitude to his legal team, family, friends and supporters.

Describing the ruling as more than a personal victory, Modi said, “This judgment is not simply personal vindication. It reaffirms the importance of due process, objective legal analysis, and the principle that allegations must ultimately be tested against evidence and law.” (IANS)