Dec. 2: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Thursday moved the Bombay High Court against the arbitrator’s stay to the termination of contract with IPL franchise Rajasthan Royals by it.
The High Court will fix a date of hearing of BCCI’s appeal on Friday. Justice B.N. Srikrishna, who was appointed as arbitrator with the consent of both the parties, on November 30 stayed the termination saying that prima facie it was ‘illegal’.
Meanwhile, in an other development, Kings XI Punjab alleged before the High Court that the BCCI “deliberately” kept silent on arbitrator Justice Srikrishna’s disclosure that he might have to pull out of arbitration. The BCCI terminated franchisee contract with Kings XI too and this dispute has also landed in the High Court as Justice Srikrishna on Wednesday recused himself from arbitration. The former Supreme Court judge disclosed that he had once represented (as a lawyer) Bombay Dyeing, whose owner Ness Wadia has a stake in Kings XI.
Following which, BCCI said that it had some “reservations”, and Srikrishna decided to pull out of the proceedings. But on Thursday, Kings XI lawyer and senior counsel Darius Khambata alleged that Justice Srikrishna had disclosed this fact on November 23, during arbitration proceedings between BCCI and Rajasthan Royals, but BCCI did not take exception to his acting as arbitrator in Kings XI dispute.