DC says he has no authority to cancel Sadique’s certificate

Chandigarh, May 17
A month after the SC Commission directed the Deputy Commissioner of Ludhiana to cancel the Scheduled Caste certificate issued to Mohammad Sadique, the bard-turned-Congress legislator from Bhadaur, the DC has referred the matter back to the Directorate of SC and ST Welfare, Chandigarh.
Deputy Commissioner Rahul Tiwari said the authority to cancel the certificate rested with the state board constituted for the welfare of SCs and BCs.
“The board will conduct an indepth inquiry into the issue. It will issue a show-cause notice to the candidate and give him time to file a representation and appear before the board. If he is found practising Islam as his religion, his certificate will be cancelled,” Tiwari said.
Lakha Singh, Deputy Director, Welfare Department, said they were yet to receive any communication from the DC.
The SC Commission had on April 24 directed the DC to cancel Sadique’s certificate as he was a Muslim and could not be certified as an SC. It had also directed that all such certificates issued earlier be cancelled and the compliance report sent every month.

Sadique won from the Bhadaur (reserve) seat defeating retired bureaucrat Darbara Singh Guru in the recent assembly poll. Guru challenged his election in the High Court, saying that Sadique was not eligible to contest from the Bhadaur (R) seat as he was a Muslim. Interestingly, the commission had directed the DC to cancel Sadique’s certificate despite a set procedure in such cases. Sadique says he is being targeted as he had defeated an Akali heavyweight and a senior bureaucrat. 

Looking back

n The Scheduled Caste Commission had on April 24 directed the Ludhiana Deputy Commissioner to cancel Mohammed Sadique's certificate as he was a Muslim and could not be certified as an SC

n It had directed that all such certificates issued earlier be cancelled and the compliance report sent every month

n Sadique, Bhadaur MLA, says he is being targeted as he had defeated Akali heavyweight DS Guru

n Guru had challenged his election in the High Court

I was being bullied, MCA should apologise: Shahrukh Khan

Mumbai - Kolkata Knight Riders owner and Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan today refused to take the blame for the altercation between him and Mumbai Cricket Association officials at the Wankehede Stadium on Wednesday night.

“They should not manhandle children in the name of security. They have no right to manhandle a 13-year-old girl. What will the kids do? We were not on the pitch we were on the side,” Khan told reporters in Mumbai.

KKR owner Shah Rukh Khan is pacified following a scuffle with a security person after the team's IPL match with Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Wednesday night. 

Asked if he would apologise, the KKR owner said, “They were extremely high-handed and aggressive in their behaviour. I was being bullied. I was not drunk. They should apologise.”

“I could write a written complaint on their behaviour. They used extremely foul language,” Khan said.

The Bollywood star, however, rubbished the threat that he would be banned from entering the stadium by the association.

“My life will not change by not allowing me to enter Wankhede cricket stadium. I don’t care about all this ban, I myself will not enter the cricket stadium. What they did is unpardonable,” he said.

Khan made it clear that he was at the stadium to pick his children and not watch the match.

The cinestar said, “I have no clarification to give. My only clarification is they should know how to behave.”

MCA bans SRK for 5 yrs, BCCI divided on the issue

Mumbai: The Mumbai Cricket Association today banned Kolkata Knight Riders co-owner and Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan from entering the Wankhede Stadium for five years for misbehaving with its officials and violating its rules.

The “unanimous” decision was taken at the MCA Managing Committee meeting called to discuss action on Khan who was involved in a skirmish with the security and officials of the association after KKR’s victory over Mumbai Indians on Wednesday night.

MCA president Vilasrao Deshmukh, who chaired the meeting, said that his association was sending out a message that misbehaviour of any kind would not be tolerated.

“If rules are violated, action will be taken. It does not depend who the individual is. It’s a message to everyone whosoever he or she may be that stern action will be taken if there is any misbehaviour,” he told a press conference adding that the actor’s behaviour was “disgusting and improper”.

Khan had, however, had denied he had misbehaved and acted only after children, including his kids, were “manhandled” by the security staff.

Deshmukh said Khan had violated rules. “Had the incident happened in the stands it would’ve been a different matter. But you can’t get on the field and do all this. How can he go inside the ground without proper accreditation. Even I can’t go inside the ground if not invited for presentation ceremony,” Deshmukh said.

“We have handed a five-year ban on him and it was a unanimous decision. It applies to any match whether domestic or international at the Wankhede,” he said.

Asked if BCCI can reverse this decision to ban Khan, Deshmukh said, “We have taken a decision to protect the dignity of our association. BCCI is our parent body and we have written to them informing what had happened. We have no control over BCCI’s decision. We are also an independent body with the Wankhede being our property.”

BCCI vice-president and IPL chairman Rajiv Shukla, however, said that a final decision will be taken by the BCCI.

“State bodies can only recommend but a final decision has to be taken by the BCCI. When the matter comes to BCCI, the Board will decide (on the ban),” he told reporters in New Delhi.

Interestingly, while Shukla said the BCCI will have the final say on the ban, fellow BCCI colleague and CAO Ratnakar Shetty said that the actor’s behaviour was unprecedented and that the association is higher than any individual.

This clearly spells out that the BCCI is itself divided on the issue.

Shetty added that the MCA had lodged an official complaint with the BCCI.

Contradicting Shah Rukh’s statement yesterday that it was the MCA officials who were to blame for the ugly incident, Shetty said: “Our officials showed tremendous restraint. In spite of being abused with the foulest language, they were very restrained. Otherwise it could’ve turned into a very ugly incident.”

Shetty also dismissed the actor’s claim that he was not drunk saying, “The ACP Colaba division said Shah Rukh was smelling of alcohol. I don’t think a civilian needs to speak on this any further.”

Shahrukh Khan banned from Wankhede for 5 years

The Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) Friday slapped a five-year ban on actor Shahrukh Khan from entering the Wankhede Stadium over his alleged misbehaviour at the ground Wednesday night. 

Khan, co-owner of Indian Premier League (IPL) team Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), had allegedly misbehaved with security personnel and MCA officials Wednesday night. 

"The managing committee of MCA condemns the behaviour of Shahrukh Khan. After his fight at the stadium Wednesday night, the actor has shown no regrets for his action and behaviour. In fact, he justified his actions. The managing committee is forced to ban Mr Shahrukh Khan from the entering Wankhede Stadium," Deshmukh said after an emergency meeting of the MCA here. 

He said nobody could support such behaviour, be it the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), the Indian Premier League (IPL) or the MCA. 

"Our decision to ban Shahrukh Khan was unanimous. There was a proposal of lifetime ban, but we want to send a message that this is not how one should behave," Deshmukh, the union minister for science and technology, said. 

"This is a message for everyone. Anyone who misbehaves or breaks any rules shall face a similar ban," he added. 

"We have already written to BCCI and have apprised them of the situation and the decision that might follow. We don't expect anybody to pressurise us to change our decision," he said. 

Asked why no committee was set up to probe the incident, Deshmukh said that majority of members were present during the brawl and they were all witness to the incident. 

"As most committee members were present during the brawl, they were all witness to the entire episode and hence there was no need to set up a committee to investigate the incident," he said. 

According to the resolution passed by MCA after an hour-long meeting, Khan will not be able to enter Wankhede Stadium for five years "neither as a team owner not as a member of the audience". 

Replying to allegations by the actor that his daughter was manhandled by MCA officials, Deshmukh said: "We have not received any complaint from Shahrukh Khan yet. He is unapologetic and justified his actions." 

"We will also genuinely look into the matter if Shah Rukh lodges a complaint regarding the same," he added. 

"We have informed BCCI about the ban, but since this property belongs to MCA, we have decided on the ban," he added. 

Deshmukh said a complaint has been registered in Mumbai's Marine Drive Police Station by the MCA officials and that the police is investigating the matter. 

On Thursday, Deshmukh had termed the event as grave and said a decision will be taken on the ban after going through the entire sequence of events. 

Stating that the security personnel and officials from the MCA were equally rude, Khan had maintained that he will not apologise for his Wednesday night behaviour. 

Khan allegedly misbehaved and pushed the security guard at the stadium and also abused officials of MCA when they tried to intervene late Wednesday night.
BCCI may revoke MCA ban on Shahrukh Khan?

Mumbai, May 18 (ANI): The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has reportedly expressed its unhappiness over the Mumbai Cricket Association's (MCA) decision to ban actor and Kolkata Knight Riders co-owner Shahrukh Khan's entry into the Wankhede Stadium for the next five years following Wednesday's brawl between MCA officials and him.

Media quoted unnamed BBCI sources, as saying that back channel talks are still going on between the BCCI and the MCA to resolve the issue in an amicable manner.

BCCI sources were further quoted by the media, as saying that IPL franchisee owners pay for the use of the grounds in which their teams play, and therefore, could not be summarily banned from entering stadiums where the Twenty20 matches are played.

IPL Governing Council chairman Rajiv Shukla had earlier in the day said that the MCA has only recommended that Shahrukh Khan be banned for five years, and it was for the BCCI to take a final decision on the matter, as the MCA was one of its unit members.

The matter has assumed political colour, with West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee asking the MCA to have a rethink on the issue, as Khan is her state's brand ambassador. She has also reportedly written to Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan to step in and resolve the issue.

Former Bihar chief minister and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Lalu Yadav did an about turn on the issue, a day after he said that appropriate action should be taken against Khan. He said that MCA should reconsider its ban decision, and urged Khan to concentrate on acting rather than the IPL.

Cabinet Minister Farooq Abdullah said that whatever had transpired with Khan at the Wankhede Stadium was unfortunate, and urged Khan to tone down his aggressive behaviour.

Maharashtra Cricket Association (MCA) President Vilasrao Deshmukh earlier in the day announced that Shah RukhKhan has been banned from entering the Wankhede Stadium for five years following his scuffle with MCA officials on Wednesday night.

He said over 50 percent MCA officials were present at the time of brawl so there was no point in forming an interim committee to look into the incident.

Khan had earlier said that he was provoked after security guards touched a group of children he was accompanying, which included his daughter.

He also rubbished reports that he was drunk after the match that took place between his team the Kolkata Knight Riders and the Mumbai Indians.

The scuffle happened on Wednesday night when the actor and his entourage were stopped from going on to the ground after the match, which the Kolkata Knight Riders won.