Monday, March 27 2006 12:59 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Mumbai: Former Cricket Board President Jagmohan Dalmiya and three other former office-bearers of the BCCI today (Mar 27, 2006) appeared before the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of the city police which is probing alleged misappropriation of Rs 21.74 lakh from the World Cup 1996 account.

Besides Dalmiya, the other office-bearers were former BCCI Secretary S K Nair and former treasurers Kishore Rungta (rpt Rungta) and Jyoti Bajpai.

They were accompanied by a battery of lawyers, including Sayaji Nangre and Satish Maneshinde.

All of them were taken to the Crime Branch conference hall where they would be quizzed in the absence of their lawyers. The interrogation would continue till 5 pm, police sources told sources. Dalmiya and others appeared before EOW of city police on a directive given by the Bombay High Court which heard their anticipatory bail plea last week and extended till April 10 the interim protection from arrest granted to them.

The court had ordered Dalmiya and others to attend EOW inquiry in Mumbai on March 27, 28, 29, 31 and before the concerned authority in Kolkata from April 3 to 5.

The judge asked them to appear before the concerned authorities in Kolkata on a plea made by Advocate General Ravi Kadam who said investigations pertained to the World Cup 1996 account operated in Kolkata.

The court also ordered them not to leave the country without its permission.

Dalmiya and others urged for anticipatory bail saying they apprehended arrest in the case filed by the Cricket Boardon March 16 at Marine Drive police station here for alleged misappropriation of funds.

They alleged that the BCCI complaint was filed only with a view to pressurise, harass and humiliate Dalmiya and cause him grave harm.

Dalmiya submitted that he was falsely implicated by his rivals out of vengeance and alleged that the Maharashtra Government was being controlled by a political party headed by BCCI president Sharad Pawar.

Nair, Rungta and Bajpai urged that they were being roped in the case only because they were Dalmiya's supporters.

Dalmiya contended that as an office-bearer of BCCI, he was entitled to open imp rest accounts, one of which was operated by him at Kolkata under the name of BCCI whose name was later changed to 'World Cup 1996' for the sake of convenience.

Dalmiya said the World Cup 1996 (imprest) account was audited regularly and this account stood merged with accounts of BCCI every year. There has been no discrepency of any nature whatsoever in respect of this account till date, he claimed, adding, that account for period 2005-2006 is yet to be audited as financial year would end on March 31 this year.

This account was opened mainly to meet legal expenses incurred by BCCI to fight cases filed by Income Tax departmentfor recovery of dues pertaining to revenue earned by PILCOM during World Cup 1996, Dalmiya said adding, for this reason the account was being operated for ten years.

After ceasing to be PILCOM Secretary from January 23 this year, Dalmiya said he closed the World Cup 1996 (imprest) account and handed over records to BCCI.