After 16-year legal battle, former IPL chief Lalit Modi to return to India
On Tuesday, the tribunal set aside the ED's penalty against him in the 2009 IPL South Africa FEMA case
- Jul 22, 2026,
- Updated Jul 22, 2026 4:19 PM IST
A day after securing major relief from an appellate tribunal, former Indian Premier League (IPL) chairman Lalit Modi said he plans to return to India by the end of this year or early next year.
On Tuesday, the tribunal set aside the Enforcement Directorate's (ED) penalty against him in the 2009 IPL South Africa FEMA case.
The Appellate Tribunal under the Smugglers and Foreign Exchange Manipulators (Forfeiture of Property) Act (SAFEMA) set aside most of the ED's findings and penalties against Modi and other appellants.
Reacting to the verdict, Modi in a video message said the ruling had vindicated his long-held position.
"I'm really happy with the verdict yesterday. It's really been a great day. 16 years, I have fought and whatever I have been saying to the media and to everybody has finally emerged as the truth," Modi said.
"I'm really happy that the tribunal has ruled in my favour. I was only concerned with the well-being of the IPL and nothing and nothing at all. That is the most dear to me. Now that chapter is behind me, I'm going to move on in my life, and I'm looking forward to coming back to India. I will come back probably at the end of this year or early next year. My daughter is due with my grandson in October, and hopefully everything will be well, and I'll be back in India," he said.
WHAT THE TRIBUNAL SAID
The case relates to the hosting of the 2009 IPL season in South Africa after the tournament was shifted out of India because of security concerns arising from the general elections.
The ED had alleged that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) transferred foreign exchange worth $49.86 million (more than Rs 243 crore) to an overseas entity without prior approval from the Reserve Bank of India. The agency alleged that this amounted to a violation of the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA).
The agency issued FEMA show-cause notices in 2011 and passed penalty orders in 2018 against Modi, some former BCCI officials and others. The order was subsequently challenged before the SAFEMA Appellate Tribunal.
In its 105-page order dated July 16, the tribunal's division bench, comprising Chairman Justice Munishwar Nath Bhandari and Member Rajesh Malhotra, held that Modi "was 'not in-charge of the affairs and otherwise he has been framed in the case without any material showing his responsibility'."
"The penalty imposed on Shri Lalit Modi is wholly erroneous and is thus interfered with," the tribunal said.
MODI CALLS VERDICT 'PERSONAL VINDICATION'
Welcoming the ruling through a statement issued by his lawyer Mehmood Abdi, Modi said the judgment reaffirmed the importance of due process.
"For over sixteen years I have consistently maintained one simple position: I acted in good faith, in the best interests of Indian cricket and the IPL, and committed no personal wrongdoing."
"This judgment is not simply personal vindication. It reaffirms the importance of due process, objective legal analysis and the principle that allegations must ultimately be tested against evidence and law," he added.
A day after securing major relief from an appellate tribunal, former Indian Premier League (IPL) chairman Lalit Modi said he plans to return to India by the end of this year or early next year.
On Tuesday, the tribunal set aside the Enforcement Directorate's (ED) penalty against him in the 2009 IPL South Africa FEMA case.
The Appellate Tribunal under the Smugglers and Foreign Exchange Manipulators (Forfeiture of Property) Act (SAFEMA) set aside most of the ED's findings and penalties against Modi and other appellants.
Reacting to the verdict, Modi in a video message said the ruling had vindicated his long-held position.
"I'm really happy with the verdict yesterday. It's really been a great day. 16 years, I have fought and whatever I have been saying to the media and to everybody has finally emerged as the truth," Modi said.
"I'm really happy that the tribunal has ruled in my favour. I was only concerned with the well-being of the IPL and nothing and nothing at all. That is the most dear to me. Now that chapter is behind me, I'm going to move on in my life, and I'm looking forward to coming back to India. I will come back probably at the end of this year or early next year. My daughter is due with my grandson in October, and hopefully everything will be well, and I'll be back in India," he said.
WHAT THE TRIBUNAL SAID
The case relates to the hosting of the 2009 IPL season in South Africa after the tournament was shifted out of India because of security concerns arising from the general elections.
The ED had alleged that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) transferred foreign exchange worth $49.86 million (more than Rs 243 crore) to an overseas entity without prior approval from the Reserve Bank of India. The agency alleged that this amounted to a violation of the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA).
The agency issued FEMA show-cause notices in 2011 and passed penalty orders in 2018 against Modi, some former BCCI officials and others. The order was subsequently challenged before the SAFEMA Appellate Tribunal.
In its 105-page order dated July 16, the tribunal's division bench, comprising Chairman Justice Munishwar Nath Bhandari and Member Rajesh Malhotra, held that Modi "was 'not in-charge of the affairs and otherwise he has been framed in the case without any material showing his responsibility'."
"The penalty imposed on Shri Lalit Modi is wholly erroneous and is thus interfered with," the tribunal said.
MODI CALLS VERDICT 'PERSONAL VINDICATION'
Welcoming the ruling through a statement issued by his lawyer Mehmood Abdi, Modi said the judgment reaffirmed the importance of due process.
"For over sixteen years I have consistently maintained one simple position: I acted in good faith, in the best interests of Indian cricket and the IPL, and committed no personal wrongdoing."
"This judgment is not simply personal vindication. It reaffirms the importance of due process, objective legal analysis and the principle that allegations must ultimately be tested against evidence and law," he added.