Former BCCI treasurer MP Pandove and senior Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) functionary GS Walia have been debarred from cricket administration for life for their involvement in a case related to the Mohali Cricket Association (MCA), a ruling by Justice (retd) HS Bhalla, the ombudsman-cum-ethics officer of the PCA, on Wednesday said.
“They are debarred for life from involvement with the game of cricket,” Justice Bhalla said in his order dated April 11. “[…] it appears that the respondents No. 1 and 2 (Walia and Pandove) in order to help the MCA misused their position and power in the PCA to provide undue favour to MCA.
“They released funds of the PCA to the MCA, fully knowing that MCA is not affiliated with the PCA and, moreover, even the registration of the MCA is under challenge before the Hon’ble Punjab and Haryana High Court.”
The District Cricket Association Mohali (DCAM) had filed a complaint against Walia and Pandove through a person named Gagandeep Singh Dhaliwal in 2021, and an investigation was initiated following the complaint.
Responding to the ruling, Walia said, “I have received the order and I will comment after consulting my legal counsel.”
The complainant had pleaded that the MCA, through these respondents, had allegedly misappropriated and embezzled the funds of PCA that were released to the MCA [the third respondents in the case] against the rules “in spite of the fact that the PCA has not recognised them and no affiliation certificate has been issued by the PCA”.
The complainant had also pleaded that in case any affiliation certificate had been issued by the PCA, the same was liable to be cancelled.
Walia and Pandove had denied averments in the complaint and had put out a plea that MCA had been using facilities such as a playground, office and washrooms at the stadium of the PCA. They added that funds were also released to them and that they fulfilled all the requirements.
They also stated that it was not the DCAM but their association, MCA, which was liable to be recognised – the MCA has indeed been recognised – and that is why they participated in the inter-district cricket tournament conducted by the PCA and the prize money was also released to the winners and runners-up.
They pleaded that all the allegations levelled against them by DCAM were false and frivolous and the complaint was liable to be dismissed.