Kolkata, March 28: The Calcutta High Court today took up a perjury case filed by former BCCI chief Jagmohan Dalmiya against BCCI and its president Sharad Pawar for allegedly producing false documents before the court in a case against him. Justice Nadira Patheriya directed that the matter would be heard on April 18.

This comes just two days after Dalmiya, charged with misappropriating Rs 2.90 crore during his tenure, was arrested and immediately released on bail in Mumbai. CNN-IBN also reported that Dalmiya has made a Rs 240 crore misappropiation claim against the board and Pawar.

The Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of Mumbai Police filed an over 5,500-page chargesheet against Dalmiya and two others after investigating the case filed by BCCI.

Suspension illegal

The perjury case was filed by Dalmiya on July 20, 2007 on the day the High Court had declared that his suspension from the Board was illegal. The former top boss of Indian cricket had alleged in the perjury case under Section 340 of Criminal Procedure Code that the Board had submitted false documents before the court. Apart from the Board and Pawar, the perjury case was filed against Niranjan Shah, Shashank Manohar and Chirayu Amin — all top functionaries of the present BCCI management.

Dalmiya’s lawyer Arindam Banerjee alleged that the Board had placed forged documents before the High Court regarding condonation of time of application for the registration of an amendment to BCCI’s Clause V of Rule 38, which relates to punitive action against a member of the Board. He claimed the Board had wrongly claimed to have got permission from the Tamil Nadu Societies Registration body to register the amendment at a later date.

Stating that an amendment must be registered with TNSRA within three months, Dalmiya’s lawyer claimed that the application for condonation of delay was filed six years after the amendment was made in September 2000. It was applied for only after the suspension of Dalmiya, Banerjee claimed.

Dalmiya had been suspended by the Board on December 16, 2006, and subsequently forced to resign from the post of Cricket Association of Bengal president.