BCCI Seeks More Time, Supreme Court Reserves Order on Implementing Lodha Reforms

The Supreme Court on Monday reserved an order on directions to be passed to the Board of Control for Cricket India on implementation of the reforms suggested by the Lodha committee. This after the BCCI sought more time to implement the reforms, which it has constantly refused to execute.

Failure to enforce the reforms could now lead to the top court constituting a panel of administrators that would supersede the current BCCI top brass.

The BCCI has been dragging its feet on executing the Lodha committee reforms which were made binding on the Board by an order passed by a Supreme Court bench on July 18.

In its Special General Meeting on Saturday, the BCCI were united in their fight against the implementation of certain Lodha reforms that threatened the Board's autonomy.

On Monday, BCCI president Anurag Thakur also filed a personal affidavit saying he wanted to know from former Board chief and current ICC chairman Shashank Manohar whether Lodha reforms amounted to governmental interference.
 
The BCCI has so far cherry-picked reforms suggested by the Lodha committee but hasn't implemented the major ones like one-state-one-vote, age and tenure caps for officials. BCCI has argued that its autonomy is being threatened by a Supreme Court-appointed committee.
 
On October 6, the Supreme Court had given the BCCI an ultimatum that it should furnish an undertaking saying it was 'unconditionally' willing to implement the Lodha reforms in full. The BCCI counsel Kapil Sibal said the Board was not willing to give such an undertaking.
 
The three-member Supreme Court bench, headed by Chief Justice of India TS Thakur said on October 7 that state units would not receive BCCI grants till such time they also adopted the Lodha reforms.
 
The BCCI drew the Lodha committee's ire after it conducted more than just "routine" affairs in its Annual General Meeting in Mumbai on September 21. The  Board defied the panel's directive and formed several committees, including the senior and junior selection panels. The BCCI also elected Ajay Shirke as secretary.
 
Subsequently, the BCCI did not meet the September 30 deadline to implement the Memorandum of Association and Rules Regulations. This effectively would bring the controversial one-state-one-vote policy in force.
 
Not amused at BCCI's tactics, the Lodha committee filed a status report to the Supreme Court on September 28. It wanted the BCCI bosses to be superseded by an administrative panel that would implement the reforms.
 
Justice Lodha's committee also questioned BCCI on big payments (total amounting to approximately Rs 400 crore) made to state associations as infrastructure grant. The committee directed BCCI's bankers to stop these hurriedly made transactions that needed review.
 
Justice Thakur's bench reacted sharply and admonished the BCCI saying: "If the BCCI thinks that they are a law unto themselves, then they are wrong. They have to comply with the directions of the court."