The Delhi High Court today told the DDCA it “cannot control” what ICC is saying over the issue of lack of completion certificate for the old house club of Ferozshah Kotla ground which may lead to shifting of the semi-final match of World T20 from here.
A bench of justices S Muralidhar and Vibhu Bakhru also clarified to the cricketing body that requisite clearances for hosting the match would be subject to the compliances and DDCA should talk to International Cricket Council (ICC) about it.
“We cannot control what the ICC is saying. You (DDCA) have to take it up with the ICC. You tell this to ICC. It has nothing to do with this court,” the bench told the counsel appearing for Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA).
Senior advocate Sandeep Sethi, representing DDCA, then told the bench he would withdraw the petition which sought a direction to South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) to issue the requisite certificate for the R P Mehra block.
Sethi also told the bench that DDCA would make appropriate representation on the issue after which the petition was “dismissed as withdrawn”.
Justice Mudgal, appointed by the high court to oversee the functioning of DDCA, has asked the cricketing body not to sell tickets of semi-final match for R P Mehra block, having a capacity of around 2,000, and that it be used only for the broadcasters and the media.
During the hearing, Sethi told the bench that ICC has taken an objection to it and is saying that if any of the blocks remain vacant then the semi-final match would be shifted to other venue.
“Justice Mudgal says that let it (R P Mehra block) be occupied by press and commentators only. We have no problem with it but the ICC says that if the block would not be entirely occupied then the semi-final match may be shifted,” Sethi told the court adding that media and commentators cannot fill the entire block.
When the lawyer said DDCA has no problem with what Justice Mudgal was saying, the bench said, “your only problem is the ICC.”
“We cannot give you the permission. It has to be in terms of the earlier order passed by this court,” the bench observed, adding DDCA cannot have the permission without all the requisite clearances.PTI
