The Delhi High Court on Wednesday ordered restoration of the passport of former Indian Premier League (IPL) Commissioner Lalit Modi by setting aside revocation orders issued by the passport authorities in Mumbai in 2011. The Court said Mr. Modi’s passport was revoked on the basis of “extraneous considerations and irrelevant materials.”
Mr. Modi, who has been banned for life by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on charges of irregularities, at present stays in England. Following his election as president of the Rajasthan Cricket Association (RCA) earlier this year, the BCCI had suspended the RCA.
Restoring Mr. Modi’s passport, a Division Bench comprising Justice B.D. Ahmed and Justice Vibhu Bakhru made it clear that it was not expressing any opinion on the alleged violations of the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) by him, which were being examined separately by the authorities under the Act.
The judgment has paved the way for Mr. Modi’s return to India.
