The Hindu : Sport / Cricket : ZTL issues legal notices to BCCI and Dalmiya

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Sunday, Apr 03, 2005

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Sport - Cricket

ZTL issues legal notices to BCCI and Dalmiya

By Our Staff Reporter

CHENNAI, APRIL 2. The Zee Telefilms Limited (ZTL) today issued legal notices to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and its former President Jagmohan Dalmiya seeking damages to the tune of Rs. 1,630 crores for depriving its "business opportunity" by improperly cancelling the tender process for telecast rights.

Referring to the March 21 order of the Madras High Court holding that the cancellation of the tender process was illegal and that the ZTL was a victim of bias, the ZTL's executive vice-president Anshu Mody said, "we, therefore, give notice of our intent to claim damages from the BCCI and Mr. Dalmiya jointly and severally for the losses caused to us."

The sum was arrived at after the ZTL had engaged a "leading international accounting firm to prepare a detailed report calculating the damages." The notice also indicated that the ZTL would challenge the High Court's order as well, because it had refused to direct the BCCI to award telecast rights to it.

Giving a fortnight for the Board and Mr. Dalmiya to reply, the notice said the ZTL was still willing to find a negotiated solution to the entire problem that would "save the BCCI and Mr. Dalmiya from further loss of face as well as monetary loss by way of damages."

The BCCI and Mr. Dalmiya have already appealed against the March 21 order of a single judge, and the appeals are likely to come up for admission on Monday.

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