Crucial BTC meeting today

Racing : Govt to enquire into affairs

 The managing committee of the Bangalore Turf Club (BTC) will meet on Sunday with a no-confidence motion against its chairman on the agenda even as the government reiterated its decision to enquire into the affairs of the racing body.

“The agenda of the meeting will be to elect a permanent chairman until the next General Body Meeting, which is slated to be in September,” a committee member told DH on condition of anonymity.

Following the doping tale that hit the BTC, its chairman N Harindra Shetty had written a letter to the chief minister Siddaramaiah, seeking a probe into the “wrongdoings at the club.” The government has said it will soon take a decision on the nature of enquiry it plans to hold into the BTC affairs.

“Based on recent developments and press reports, the government has decided to order an enquiry. However, a decision is yet to be taken on the nature of enquiry or the terms of reference,” Additional Chief Secretary, Finance Department, INS Prasad, said on Saturday.

The BTC member said the committee has welcomed the government move but said that there had been no order from the government to cancel the meeting.

“We received a letter from the Additional Chief Secretary saying the meeting was called in a haste. Today a steward and the Chief Executive Officer met the concerned government official to explain the committee had a sent a notice of the meeting to Shetty ten days in advance, according to the Companies Act and it was not a decision taken in haste,” the member explained.  

Prasad said the government had not issued any orders directing the BTC to call off the meeting. “If there is any wrongdoing at the club then it is the right of the government to enquire into the matter. Not beyond that,” he said.

Claiming the allegations against him as false, Shetty said he will attend the meeting. “I am still the chairman and I am entitled to voice my opinion in the meeting. The government will probe into the ongoing issue and until the statements against me are proven, I need not worry,” he said.

Police notice

Meanwhile, the High Grounds police have slapped a notice on Nirmal Prasad, CEO of Bangalore Turf Club (BTC) and four others in the case related to the positive dope test of Queen Latifa.

 Chief Stipendiary Officer Pradyumna Singh, steward Vivek Ubhayakar, joint-owner Arjun Sajnani and trainer Neil Darashah are the four others asked by the High Grounds police to appear before them for an enquiry.

Samples of Queen Latifa were tested at National Doping Test Laboratory, New Delhi. The samples have been sent for a test abroad and the result is awaited, police said, adding that preliminary investigation had indicated a violation of procedures.