By IANS
New Delhi : Delhi High Court Friday allowed the Indian Cricket League (ICL) to withdraw its petition alleging that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) was intimidating players who joined the rebel league. The BCCI had questioned the legal validity of such complaints.
BCCI counsel Ashok Desai and Abhishek Singvi submitted that the ICL did not have any valid reasons to file such a complaint without citing the law on the basis of which it was filed.
The ICL counsel then sought the court’s permission to withdraw its petition and file a fresh one stating the specific amendments by Oct 22.
In its petition, ICL had submitted that Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) and Air India had threatened employees that their services would be terminated if they joined ICL.
The petition filed in August by Essel Sports Pvt Ltd, the promoter of ICL, sought that BCCI be directed not to intimidate players who join ICL.
In an interim order, Justice S.K. Kaul had ruled that, “the Public Sector Corporation governed by various ministries will not terminate services or take any punitive action by the reason of its employees (registered with the BCCI) seeking to affiliate themselves to Indian Cricket League”.
Desai argued that the ICL petition that levelled allegations against BCCI should be dismissed. Singvi said that no player had ever been intimidated by the BCCI nor were there any allegations of coercion from anybody till date.
The court had asked the government to clarify the situation about the Indian cricket team and the role of BCCI in controlling the game in the country.
ICL had submitted that the team representing the BCCI was not the India team and that BCCI could not intimidate players for joining another group. ICL had also asked for directions to ensure that BCCI would not prevent the rebel league from using stadiums across the country for ICL matches.
“The BCCI had earlier submitted before the Supreme Court that it was a private body and the players were also playing for the board, so the team should not use the name of India and its flag during matches in India and abroad,” the ICL petition contended.
The league also accused the cricket board of threatening and intimidating it as well as other state organisations.