Shetty summoned by MCA panel probing unsold WC final tickets

Top BCCI official Ratnakar Shetty has been summoned to attend the meeting of the Mumbai Cricket Association's (MCA) inquiry committee, probing the matter of unsold tickets during the 2011 World Cup final held at the Wankhede Stadium, in Mumbai on Wednesday.

"I have received the e-mail, which also mentions four other people [Lalchand Rajput, Pradeep Zaveri, Shripad Halbe and Ganesh Iyer]. I haven't decided if I will be attending it," Shetty said on Tuesday.

- Exclusive! 'Can you imagine the BCCI has ANY credibility?'

BCCI' sGeneral Manager (Game Development) Shetty was the tournament director of the world's showpiece cricket event two years back.

MCA has summoned Shetty, a former MCA vice-president and treasurer, along with former joint secretary Rajput, current managing committee member Iyer, former managing committee member Halbe and Zaveri, to appear before the four-member inquiry panel.

"I don't know why they have called me but as per their letter I have been asked to brief the committee on World Cup final tickets. I will attend," Halbe said.

It has been learnt from sources that Rajput and Iyer are unlikely to attend the meeting and that Shetty had asked for the terms of reference of the committee.

Over 400 tickets of the India-Sri Lanka final, won by the hosts, were left unsold though 'sold out' notice boards had been put up at the ticket counters, which had prompted MCA to form the four-member special committee to look into the issue.

The loss to MCA's coffers due to the unsold tickets is estimated to be over Rs 70 lakh.

Interestingly, Shetty was recently banned for five years by MCA for alleging that some of their office bearers could have sold tickets for an India-Pakistan T20 match at Ahmedabad last year in the black market.

MCA treasurer Mayank Khandwala, who is the convener, said Shetty will be allowed to enter the MCA office because he has been summoned for the inquiry.

"He has been called for an inquiry, so he should be allowed, I think. There should not be an issue on that front," Khandwala said.

Photograph: Ritam Banerjee/Getty Images