This decision was taken at the BCCI's Working Committee meeting held at its headquarters in Mumbai on Saturday which was chaired by its chief Sharad Pawar.

"The police have filed a criminal case against him and we want the money to be recovered. Since we can't file the civil suit after February 2009, as it will become time-barred then, we want to do soon and recover Rs 47.77 crore that he owes the BCCI," BCCI sources said.

Dalmiya, arrested on March 26, 2008 and released on bail for alleged misappropriation of PILCOM Pak-India-Lanka Committee funds, later stormed back at the helm of affairs of Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) at its elections last month.

But, the former president of the International Cricket Council, the first from Asia to do so, chose to skip Saturday's Working Committee meeting and CAB was represented at the one-day sitting by Biswarup Dey.

Dalmiya, fighting a court battle with the parent body for alleged embezzlement of 1996 World Cup funds, could now be seen at the AGM to be held here on September 27 and 28.

The former ICC chief, expelled by the current ruling group in the BCCI in December 2006 from the apex cricket body, had to step down as president of CAB, but after lengthy legal battles he was allowed to contest the elections in July 2007.