Mr. Sourav Ganguly, the President of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the West Bengal Government have been fined for irregularities in cricket plot allotment.
On the 27th of September, a division bench of Calcutta High Court (HC) comprising of the Acting Chief Justice Mr. Rajesh Bindal and Justice Mr. Arijit Banerjee heard a public interest litigation (PIL,) challenging land allotment to the former Cricketer Mr. Sourav Ganguly to establish a school in New Town, Kolkata.
According to sources, the matter has been pending since 2016, when a first petition regarding the illegal land allotment was filed. It is to be noted, in 2009, the West Bengal Housing Infrastructure Development Corporation (WBHIDCO) Limited, allotted 2 acres of land to the former Indian Cricket Captain. In 2011, in a Supreme Court (SC) hearing, the matter was kept aside and the allotment was on stay.
Later in 2013, the West Bengal Government issued a letter, Confirming the land to Mr. Sourav Ganguly. Following which in 2016, several petitions were filed, challenging the allotment of the land, which is a violation of rules. However, the land was surrendered to the WBHIDCO, the irregularities were conducted in the first place, even after the Supreme Court set aside the orders.
Hearing the PIL, the Calcutta HC bench said, “we need not quash the allotment of plot as the same stands already surrendered, however, for the conduct of the State in generating litigation by arbitrary exercise of power which runs totally contrary to the law laid down by the Supreme Court, we impose a cost of Rs. 50,000 each on State and WBHIDCO (West Bengal Housing Infrastructure Development Corporation.)”
The bench further said, “token cost of 10,000″ on BCCI President and the ‘Ganguly Education and Welfare Society’ “for the reason that even they should have acted in accordance with law especially considering the earlier judgment whereby arbitrary allotment of plot in their favour was set aside by the Supreme Court.”
Although the land has been surrendered, due to the irregularities, the Calcutta HC imposed a fine of Rs. 10,000 on Mr. Sourav Ganguly and Rs. 50,000 on the West Bengal Government. However, the HC said, the State Government can recover the fine money from the pay of the employee, who was responsible for the allotment in the past.
Stay tuned for further updates.
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