BCCI vs Lodha Panel: AGM An Act of Defiance By Cricket Bosses? - 10 Developments

The Board of Control for Cricket in India will hold its 87th Annual General Meeting in Mumbai. The AGM's proceedings will be watched keenly by the Supreme Court-appointed Lodha panel. Decisions made by the BCCI on Wednesday could open fresh court-room battles.

Since the 2013 IPL betting and fixing issue went to court in 2014, BCCI AGMs have not been smooth affairs. When former president N. Srinivasan was unwilling to step aside, there were delays in the AGM due to court proceedings in 2014 and 2015. Srinivasan's son-in-law and Chennai Super Kings team owner Gurunath Meiyappan was in the eye of the betting scandal.

Ten developments of the BCCI versus Lodha panel case:

# On July 14, 2016, a two-judge Supreme Court bench, that included the Chief Justice of India TS Thakur, empowered the Lodha panel to implement a series of reforms in BCCI's style of governance.

# Lodha panel recommended major reforms that included age caps, tenure restrictions, one-man-one-post, one state-one-vote, among others. The reforms would apply to the Board as well as state units.

# Lodha panel also proposed changes in the way the BCCI and state units were structured. It also suggested constitutional changes in BCCI and its affiliated units

# Lodha panel set the BCCI two deadlines - September 30 to make constitutional changes and December 15 for the Board to form a nine-member Apex committee that will replace the working committee

# The BCCI did not accept all the proposals made by the Lodha panel. The BCCI appointed former Supreme Court judge Justice Markandey Katju to review the Lodha panel recommendations and advise on whether to implement them.

# Katju called the Lodha panel "unconstitutional and illegal." The BCCI promptly filed a review petition in the Supreme Court on July 18

# Defying the Lodha deadlines, the BCCI also announced the date of the AGM. Katju said there was nothing wrong in the BCCI staging its AGM as it was governed by the Tamil Nadu Societies Registration Act, 1975 and only the Registrar could take action against the BCCI, not a court-appointed committee.

# In the absence of senior stalwarts like Jagmohan Dalmiya or Shashank Manohar, the current BCCI bosses reportedly took Srinivasan's advice to tackle the Lodha panel. The controversial Srinivasan, who was removed as ICC chairman, could win an important post in the BCCI on Wednesday.

# In August, BCCI secretary met the Lodha panel saying the AGM will conduct "routine" business but last week, the Board advertised inviting applications for the post of selectors. It's agenda also says that it will elect the new working committee and even an ombudsman.

# On August 31, the Lodha panel clearly told the BCCI that any business or matter related to 2016-17 should be made only after the Board implements the reforms. Thus formation of committees is against the Lodha panel's recommendation.