11 January 2005	Tuesday	29 Ziqa'ad 1425

NEW DELHI, Jan 10: India's top court on Monday blocked former International Cricket Council (ICC) president Jagmohan Dalmiya from taking over as Patron-in-Chief of the cash-rich national cricket board.

The Supreme Court, hearing a case of alleged misconduct during board elections last year, upheld its interim order suspending the nomination of Dalmiya, the outgoing president.

The court did, however, allow the other newly elected officials to take charge by permitting the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to complete its annual general meeting (AGM), unfinished since September.

The court also struck down a lower court order appointing a former Supreme Court judge as the board's interim administrator. "We make our interim order, dated October 11, absolute," the order by a two-judge bench of the court said.

The board appealed to the top court after the Madras High Court had suspended the BCCI's new officials. This followed a petition by a local club contending that the election was illegal because a member of the Maharashtra Cricket Association was disqualified from voting.

Ranbir Mahendra, a politician, was elected BCCI president after Dalmiya used his casting vote to break a tie with Sharad Pawar, a powerful federal minister.

Critics said if Dalmiya had become the BCCI's first Patron-in-Chief it would have helped him retain control over the board's finances. Dalmiya told reporters he was happy with Monday's ruling and was not worried about being barred from the role of Patron-in-Chief. -Reuters