Judicial probe into GCA tickets scam
Sandesh Prabhudesai
Almost five months after the bogus ticket racket in the final One-day international between India and Australia on April 6 came to light, the Goa government ordered a judicial probe into the murky affair on Wednesday.
Justice M L Pendse, a retired high court judge, will inquire into the
alleged scam.
The state police, in the meanwhile, has filed two different chargesheets
against former deputy Chief Minister Dayanand Narvekar, who heads the Goa
Cricket Association, and his office-bearers as well as the ticket contractor
and his accomplices.
The high court was informed about the judicial probe while disposing of a
petition filed by P G Kakodkar, former chairman of the State Bank of
India, who was lathicharged along with around 15,000 other cricket fans before the start of the cricket match, at the Jawaharlal Nehru stadium in Fatorda, Margao.
While police are inquiring into the criminal angles of the case, Justice Pendse is expected to also probe the
functioning of the GCA as a whole.
Narvekar and nine others have been formally chargesheeted in
two different cases -- one pertaining to the bogus ticket scam and another for endangering human life. They appeared before the courts during last two days.
The police investigations charge Narvekar and two other GCA officials with conspiring with contractor Chinmay Fallari in printing and selling over
20,000 bogus tickets while almost 15,000 cricket fans were lathicharged
outside the Fatorda stadium before the match started after being denied entry, as the stadium was
already overpacked.
On the other hand, the Board of Control for Cricket in India has also
started investigating into the functioning of the GCA, which officially conducts international cricket matches in Goa. BCCI executive secretary Sharad Diwadkar was in Goa last week in this regard.
The immediate issue before the BCCI is to decide who is the GCA secretary,
as the ad-hoc committee, appointed by the court while stripping Narvekar and secretary Vinod Phadke from their powers, had appointed another secretary.
Related reports:
Former Goa Dy. CM Narvekar arrested
Goa cricket rigmarole continues
Goa Cricket Association asked to show-cause
Narvekar gets a respite
Narvekar's bail plea rejected
GCA president orchestrated ticket scam, say police
5 arrested in bogus tickets case
