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Friday, Oct 21, 2005

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Court for interim deal to telecast Sri Lanka series

Staff Reporter

Directs Cricket Board to file affidavit on decision to award rights to Prasar Bharati

Counsel for Zee Telefilms, also agreed to the Court's view on the point of exigency of the situation BCCI decision contrary to the statement made by it before the Court on October 4, he says Board's counsel challenges the maintainability of the Zee petition

NEW DELHI : The Delhi High Court on Thursday hinted at allowing the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to make an interim arrangement for the telecast and broadcast of the India-Sir Lanka one-day cricket series beginning on October 25.

A petition by Zee Telefilms seeking quashing of an eligibility condition issued by the BCCI for the award of telecast and broadcast rights of cricket matches to be played here between October 2005 and September 2009 is pending disposal.

A Division Bench of the High Court, comprising Justice M.K. Sharma and Justice Sanjiv Khanna, said some interim arrangement has to be made for the telecast and broadcast of at least the India-Sri Lanka one-day series beginning on October 25.

Harish Salve, counsel for Zee Telefilms, also agreed to the Court's view on the point of exigency of the situation.

Directing the BCCI to file an affidavit about its decision to award the telecast right for the India-Sri Lanka and the India-South Africa series beginning October 25 and November 16 respectively to Prasar Bharati under an interim arrangement, the Bench hinted at passing an interim order in the matter on October 24, the next date of hearing.

The Bench issued the direction to the Board when Mr. Salve opposed the Board's decision to award the telecast right to Prasar Bharati for the two series under an interim arrangement. The decision was contrary to the statement made by the Board before the Court on October 4 that it would not take any decision on it, he submitted.

Informing the Court about the decision of the award of the telecast right, Board's counsel Soli J. Sorabjee also challenged the maintainability of the Zee petition on the ground that the High Court did not have the jurisdiction to hear the plea as the Board's as well as the petitioner's offices were in Mumbai.

The Bench asked the Board to file the affidavit on October 21.

The High Court had on October 4 allowed the Board to go ahead with the technical part of the bid for the award of the telecast and broadcast rights.

However, it had allowed the Board's plea for inviting the technical bid with a condition that after scrutinising the applications and short-listing the bidders, it would not take any decision on that. The Court had directed the Board to file a report about it.

However, Mr. Sorabjee informed the Court that the petitioner's technical bid was considered and it was found to be ineligible for the financial bid, the next and final stage of the tender.

Seeking quashing of the eligibility condition, the petitioner submitted that it was aggrieved by it, as this had been tailor-made by the Board to suit ESPN-Star Sports to perpetuate its (ESPN) monopoly.

Doordarshan bags rights

Special Correspondent

Doordarshan on Thursday bagged the telecast rights of the two one-day cricket series. The decision was taken by the BCCI at its marketing committee meeting.

The matches will be shown on DD National and DD Sports, who together cover all cable and terrestrial television homes across the country. The Board has given the production work related to telecasting the series on Doordarshan to Trans World International. In turn, Prasar Bharati, will pay Rs. 7.5 crores per match to the BCCI as the rights fee.

Since the BCCI telecast rights issue is in the court, Prasar Bharati had earlier this week written to the Board to award the rights to telecast for the two series to Doordarshan on the same terms as the India-Pakistan and India-Australia series. The matches will be aired live on All India Radio. However, no decision has been taken on the telecast rights of the test matches. Prasar Bharati had requested the BCCI to award the test match rights to it also.

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