Finally, DDCA Decides To Hold AGM On December 29, But No Election For President

The much-delayed Annual General Body meeting of the Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) will be held on December 29, after its Apex Council passed the accounts of the financial year 2018-19 – a key condition for holding the AGM. But election for the post of president, following the resignation of Rajat Sharma last month, and of two Directors will not be held at this meeting. (More Cricket News)

Most probably, another general body meeting would be convened to hold elections. But the DDCA Ombudsman would take the final call on this on December 11. The AGM should have been held by July 2 as Rajat Sharma and his entire 12-member panel was elected on this date last year.

DDCA Ombudsman Badar Durrez Ahmed, in his November 29 order following hearing a case of Rajat Sharma’s resignation, had asked the DDCA to conduct the AGM between December 26 and 31. However, his order, did not talk about election. He only ordered that the much-delayed audit of the accounts should be done within 10 days of his November 29 order.

“At the Apex Council meeting held on December 9, it was decided that the AGM would be held on December 29. But elections will not be held in this AGM, and I have written to the Ombudsman in this regard and he will take a decision. We will try to hold election for the president’s post as soon as possible,” DDCA joint secretary Rajan Manchanda told Outlook. “The accounts for 2018-19 were also passed by the Apex Council at yesterday’s meeting.”

There are 16 members in the Apex Council and a majority of them who have gone against Rajat Sharma are reportedly together at present. They attended the Apex Council meeting, chaired by ‘interim president’ Rakesh Bansal, on December 9, said Manchanda.

Another interesting development is that the apparently five Directors owing allegiance to Rajat Sharma have written to two banks to seal the accounts of the DDCA, though the reasons for this strange request are not known yet. The treasurer, Om Prakash Sharma, who is also a sitting BJP MLA in the Delhi Assembly, belongs to the Rajat Sharma camp and is among the five Directors who have written to the banks. The bank managers called up a Director to inform about this letter. While quitting the DDCA, Rajat Sharma had said that the DDCA now has Rs 25 crore in its coffers.

Meanwhile, Ombudsman Ahmed, a former Chief Justice of the Jammu and Kashmir High Court, will hear a clutch of complaints on December 11. These include complaints filed by former India cricketer Kirti Azad and DDCA member Sameer Bahadur against 13 junior cricketers for allegedly fudging their age for age-group tournaments.

The others include the suspension of DDCA secretary Vinod Tihara on November 2 by the Apex Council, which was then headed by Rajat Sharma.

Senior DDCA member Pramod Jain’s complaint against former Delhi captain and Apex Council member Gautam Gambhir will also be heard. Jain had had complained in September 2018 the former India captain was caught in a conflict of interest zone as he allegedly held multiple positions even as he represented Delhi in domestic tournaments. “He was a Delhi player, its Ranji captain, a government nominee on the DDCA Apex Council, and was doing TV commentary as well,” claims Jain. But since Gambhir has quit both as a player and Apex Council member – and has been elected a Member of Parliament -- it’ll be interesting to see what the ruling of the Ombudsman will be.

Another complaint pertains to Rakesh Bansal, who has allegedly been ‘disqualified’ to continue as a DDCA Director according to an email sent to him – as well as the rest of the Directors -- by DDCA Chief Financial Officer Prem Chandra Vaish November 20, informing that he ceased to be a DDCA councillor/vice-president on September 9, 2019.

“This is to bring to your kind notice that DDCA is in receipt of a complaint/ letter informing that you have incurred disqualification under Article 8(5)(g) and Article 17(4) of the Articles of Association of DDCA. On going through the official e-courts web portal of Delhi District Courts, it is observed that you are an accused in a criminal case and you on account of being charged for an offence under Section 138 N.I. Act vide Notice of Charge/order dated 09.09.2019 passed in Ct Case No. 3624/2018 (Nishi Exports Pvt. Ltd. vs. Bon Mart International), Ct. Case No. 3623/2018 (Nishi Exports Pvt. Ltd. vs. Rattan Industries Ltd) and 3622/2018 (Nishi Exports Pvt. Ltd. vs. Rattan Industries Ltd), have suffered disqualification. The information of your having incurred disqualification is thus found to be correct,” wrote Vaish in his email, accessed by Outlook.

“This disqualification incurred by you on 9.9.2019 does not permit you from continuing as a Councillor/Vice-President in the Apex Council of DDCA. Accordingly, in terms of Article 8 (5) (g) and Article 17(4) of the Articles of Association of DDCA, you cease to be a Councillor/Vice-President in DDCA w.e.f. 09.09.2019 i.e. from the date on which the above mentioned order was passed by the Ld. Court,” the CFO said.