Zee Telefilms on Wednesday filed an appeal in the Supreme Court challenging a Madras High Court order that upheld Indian cricket board's (BCCI) decision to cancel the tender process for awarding telecast rights for international cricket matches till 2008.

Zee, in its petition filed through counsel Maninder Singh, said it had emeerged as the highest bidder for the telecast rights of international cricket matches played in India between 2004-08 and hence it should have been awarded the contract.

A Division Bench of the Madras High Court had on May 2 had set aside a Single Judge's order which held that the cancellation was "improper."

The Single Bench had directed the Board to call for fresh tenders and permitted Zee Telefilms and ESPN to participate in the fresh tender process.

However, the Division Bench held that records clearly demonstrated that there was no concluded contract between Zee Telefilms Ltd and the Board.

Taking exception to the single Judge's remarks that the cancellation was vitiated by arbitrariness and unfair action of the BCCI and Dalmiya in particular, the Division Bench had held "these remarks against the BCCI and Dalmiya are unjustified, uncalled for and unsustainable."

The Division Bench had allowed BCCI's appeal against Single Judge's order directing it to call for fresh tenders and also Dalmiya's against the Single Judge's remarks against him. However, it had dismissed a third appeal by Zee for a direction to BCCI to award the contract to telecast cricket matches to it in the wake of March 21 order of the Single Judge declaring the cancellation as improper.