Mumbai: The Bombay high court has directed the joint charity commissioner (JCC) to decide within six months on a new proposal for the redevelopment of the over-century-old Jewish school on St Mary Road, Mazgaon. Considering a revised offer is made by developer Siddharth Greenacres Pvt Ltd to Sir Elly Kadoorie School Trust, Justices Girish Kulkarni and Aarti Sathe on Monday modified a Dec 2011 order, and remanded the matter to the JCC “to consider the aforesaid revised offer, if it is in the best interests of the trust.” The HC was hearing appeals by the trust, 24 tenants of a chawl and the developer against its Dec 2011 order.In 2007, BMC declared the school building dangerous and beyond repair. In Nov 2008, the trustees resolved to redevelop the property. They finalised a developer and the then JCC in May 2010 granted sanction for redevelopment. Two persons, including a nominated trustee, filed a petition in HC challenging the JCC’s order saying there are no compelling reason to alienate the property considering a donation offer of Rs 4.5 crore by businessman Sir Michael Kadoorie, who runs the Kadoorie Charitable Foundation, for the repair and redevelopment of the school named after his grandfather. In Dec 2011, the HC’s single judge quashed and set aside the JCC’s order, noting suppression of the donation offer and that the trustees did not follow a transparent process. He remanded the matter for reconsideration and directed the JCC to invite fresh bids. Hearing the appeals in Feb 2012, the HC division bench directed that a status quo be maintained. On Monday, senior advocates Sharan Jagtiani and Naushad Engineer, for the trust and the developer respectively, informed that there is a revised redevelopment offer. Advocate Gauraj Shah, for the original petitioners, said the JCC has to adjudicate whether it is in the best interest. The judges asked the parties to draw up minutes of the consent order. The developer committed to paying Rs 12 crore monetary benefit, including Rs 5 crore corpus fund and Rs 1 crore towards advance/arrears of rent. The new school building with all amenities will be constructed on 56,000 sq ft.Taking note of “consensus arrived among contesting parties” as set out in “minutes of the order” by which disputes are intended to be resolved between them, the HC, in the interest of justice, modified the Dec 2011 order and directed the parties to appear before the JCC on March 25.

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) president, Aminul Islam, has left his board members upset after he reportedly sent a letter to the sports ministry over the investigation into the last BCB election.

Several BCB directors are reportedly not happy with the president because they were not properly consulted before the move, and this was not the first time such things had happened.

BCB Directors angry over not being consulted by Aminul Islam

The tension grew after the Bangladeshi government formed an investigation committee to look into possible irregularities in the last BCB election. Aminul has decided to respond strongly and publicly instead of within the system, which has created more frustration among the board members.

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There is also growing frustration over how major decisions are being made. As reported by Cricbuzz, many directors do not know the full process behind important calls. Some feel they are only informed after decisions are already made, and even then they were not asked for their opinion.

A director was quoted as saying by Cricbuzz: “I think we’ve had two discussions so far (apart from board meetings). One was when we decided not to play the ICC Twenty20 World Cup, and another was when we decided to give BDT two crores to Dhaka University.”

Another director shared, “I think we had two discussions so far [apart from the board meeting]: one when we decided not to play the T20 World Cup and another time when he decided to give BDT two crores to Dhaka University, and if I am not wrong, it was more like informing us rather than taking our suggestion.

Aminul Islam’s letter triggers fresh trouble inside BCB

Seven BCB directors reportedly supported Aminul Islam’s press release with a thumbs-up in the group, while Asif Akbar openly backed it with a message.

Those are Nazmul Abedin, Mokhlesur Rahman Shamim, Rubabudowla, Abdur Razzak, Rahat Shams, Hasanuzzaman, and Ahsan Iqbal Chowdhury. But some board members felt making the letter public was not the best way to handle the matter.

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The National Sports Council has already moved ahead with the investigation process after getting formal communication from the government. Officials have made it clear that the government has the legal power to ask for such a probe.

National Sports Council set to take action

Even though Aminul asked the sports ministry to cancel the committee. The committee chief got official government orders on March 16 to begin the probe. NSC official Doulotuzzaman Khan said that such issues are fully allowed under the rules.

Doulotuzzaman said, “According to Section 24 of our National Sports Council Act, the government can give instructions to the NSC on any matter as necessary. That’s why we recommended it to the investigation committee.”

On being asked whether the International Cricket Council (ICC) could step in, Doulotuzzaman said, “That’s for much later. That will depend on the extent of the irregularities found by the independent investigation committee. Then it will be considered (whether we need to sit with ICC or not), and then (after discussing with ICC) the procedure for taking action will be considered.”

Erling Haaland (Photo by Total Chess/Jonathan Turton)

NEW DELHI: Already an icon in the world of football, Erling Haaland is stepping into the world of chess, not as a player but as an investor. He has backed Norway Chess and its newly launched Total Chess World Championship Tour, aiming to help grow the sport globally. Along with businessman Morten Borge, he has co-founded a company called Chess Mates, which now owns a significant stake in Norway Chess. The new tour, approved by FIDE for at least 16 years, plans to host four tournaments every year in different cities.

Players will compete across formats like classical, rapid, and blitz to crown an overall world champion. A trial event is scheduled for late 2026, with the full season starting in 2027 and offering a prize pool of at least $2.7 million annually.Haaland explained his interest, saying, “Chess is an incredible game. It sharpens your mind, and there are clear similarities to football. You have to think quickly, trust your instincts, and think several moves ahead. Strategy and planning are everything”.

Why Haaland is investing

Haaland believes the new tour can make chess more exciting for fans worldwide. He said, “I’m investing in Norway Chess because I believe the new Total Chess World Championship Tour can turn chess into an even bigger sport for spectators around the world. The team behind Norway Chess has already done an impressive job growing the event, and joining the project was too exciting to pass up.”Officials are also optimistic about the move. Norway Chess CEO Kjell Madland said, “We expect the new championship to become one of the most prestigious events in the global chess calendar. The fact that Erling is joining us as an investor says a great deal about the commercial potential of this tour.”