credited with helping ICC generate more revenue. The profits made from World Cup were directed to the ICC instead of the host nations, strengthening ICC's power over the World Cup. Since the 1999 edition of the tournament, the World Cup has been officially called "ICC World Cup". When Dalmiya took over as ICC President in 1997, ICC had funds of £16,000 and when his term ended in 2000, it had over $15 million. After his stint as ICC President, Dalmiya was elected the President of BCCI for the first time in 2001. Later the same year, he was involved in a major row with the ICC over what was called the 'Denness Affair' in which the ICC match referee and former England captain Mike Denness found Sachin Tendulkar guilty of a technical breach of the rules (misreported in the Indian media as an allegation of ball-tampering) and gave him a fine and suspended sentence, while also banning Virender Sehwag for one match for claiming a catch off a bump ball. There was a major argument about the issue and questions were asked in the Indian Parliament. Dalmiya demanded a right of appeal from the ICC, which was refused, and also demanding that Denness be replaced as match referee for the following test or it would be cancelled. Ultimately, as Denness was not permitted to referee the final match of the series by the BCCI and the UCBSA, the match was stripped of Test status by the ICC. Contracts to Indian team players, and pensions to former cricketers and umpires were first awarded in 2003 when Dalmiya was the Board's President. In the 2005 BCCI board elections, Dalmiya's candidate Ranbir Singh Mahendra was ousted by Indian government minister Sharad Pawar as the head cricket official of India. Later the following year, Dalmiya was expelled from the board for alleged misappropriation of funds and refusing to provide certain documents. However, in May 2007, when he challenged the decision in the Bombay High Court and then the Supreme Court, he was exonerated as the BCCI was unable to prove their charge of financial irregularities against him. In July 2010, the Calcutta High Court dismissed charges against Dalmiya, and allowed him to contest the presidency of the Cricket Association of Bengal, which he subsequently won. In June 2013, Dalmiya was appointed as the interim president of the BCCI after N. Srinivasan stepped aside till