Sohrabuddin encounter accused gets ‘grand welcome’ at IPL

He has been asked to stay away from his home state by the Supreme Court for his alleged involvement in the Sohrabuddin Sheikh fake encounter case. He also had to give up the powerful ministerial post he had held in 'Saheb's' ministry.

But Amit Shah, former Gujarat minister of state for home, continues to wield authority in cricketing circles despite his being restricted by the SC from entering Gujarat.

Shah, who is still a senior vice-president of the Gujarat Cricket Association (GCA), received a royal treatment during the opening ceremony of Indian Premier League (IPL-V) at Chennai, on April 3.

In the absence of Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi who is also the GCA president, Shah attended the IPL ceremony along with GCA secretary Rajesh Patel.

As per the protocol, for any function organised by the BCCI, state associations receive two passes, one each for the secretary and the president. Considering the busy schedule of Narendra Modi, GCA secretary Rajesh Patel and Shah attended the IPL opening ceremony on behalf of the state's cricket association.

According to BCCI insiders, Shah was accorded a red carpet welcome at the ceremony. "The Apex Court has ordered him to stay out of Gujarat but that hasn't diminished his popularity in cricketing circles. The way he was constantly surrounded by bigwigs of the cricketing body at Chennai, it is clear that Shah still wields enormous clout in the cricketing world," said a BCCI member.