The Maharashtra Cricket Association (MCA) at its managing committee meeting on Thursday ratified the decision taken by its president, Abhay Apte to suspend Pandurang Salgaonkar as chief curator of the MCA International Stadium at Gahunje village.
Read: 'How did Salgaonkar let it slip?'
Salgaonkar's membership representing Raigad District has also been put on hold till the outcome of an enquiry surrounding his involvement with two television journalists who organised a sting operation disguising as bookies, is known.
The MCA President, who is a lawyer, will head the enquiry committee.
Read: Pay the curator well, says Venkat Sundaram
The former Maharashtra fast bowler, who was looking after his ailing wife in a hospital after supervising work at the match venue, is alleged to have violated the code of behaviour for match officials on the eve of the second one-day internartional between India and New Zealand.
He confided details of the behaviour of the pitch, likely scores, how quickly the pitch can be tampered with to the two television journalists. The 68-year-old also responded positively, when they told him, that the money they would make on the basis of the information supplied by him, would be shared.
While the MCA would begin its enquiry soon, the ICC Anti-Corruption-Unit (ACU) manager, Bir Singh and the ICC Coordinator, Investigations, Steve Richardson were in Pune on Thursday to investigate the case and are likely to submit a report in a few days.
Salgaonkar’s friends believe that he only bragged a bit, but BCCI officials believe that he had no right to give pitch-access to the journalists and pass vital information. Sources told Sportstar that Salgaonkar did not heed to the BCCI certified curator Ramesh Mhamunkar when he saw the presence of two unauthorised persons near the pitch. Employed with the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA), Mhamunkar would have probably given his report to the BCCI.
Many people connected with the MCA feel that the Supreme Court appointed Committee of Administrators (CoA) should have reacted promptly to a letter addressed to them by an MCA managing committee member, Madhav Ranade.
A former State player, Ranade had informed the CoA, after an MCA Managing Committee meeting on August 26, that efforts were being made to "marginalise" the MCA president Abhay Apte and also that he should be "shown in poor light by sabotaging the match between India and New Zealand to be held in Pune on the 25th of October 2017, by any means possible including the floodlights being switched off or failing at a crucial moment.’’
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