Will RM Lodha Panel Banish Politicians From Indian Cricket Administration?

Trying to rebuild its tattered image after a spate of controversies, the Board of Control for Cricket in India is anxiously waiting for the Justice Lodha Committee's report which is set to recommend a host of reforms for the cricket body on Monday.  (Justice Lodha Committee To Submit Report to BCCI, Supreme Court on January 4)

While the three-member committee comprising Justice (Retd) RM Lodha, Justice (Retd) Ashok Bhan and Justice (Retd) RV Raveendran is set to submit their report to the Supreme Court, the BCCI will be keenly watching the proceedings as to whether the Apex Court makes the recommendations binding or not. (Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid Inputs Help Lodha Panel Prepare Model on India Cricket Board Revamping)

There are reports in some quarters that the panel may recommend that politicians should not be part of the Board which is run as a society registered under the Tamil Nadu Societies Registration Act.

The executive functionaries are all honorary office-bearers with most of the top state cricket associations being run by either a politician, or a bureaucrat or a heavyweight industrialist.

Barring former India captain Sourav Ganguly, who is the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) president and Dilip Vengsarkar, vice-president of Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA), none of the top cricketers are running the show in state units.

The second contentious issue that probably will be dealt with in the report is the 'Conflict of Interest'.

The committee may also suggest making IPL a separate private limited company under section-8 which has to reinvest all its profits.

Among the major points on governance structure, it needs to be seen if the all-powerful working committee may be done away with suggestions about having a paid Board of Directors.

The most contentious issue would be the committee's recommendations on politicians, who occupy top positions in the Board.

Already resentful of any such move, a lot of members in the BCCI have already started saying it is tough to ensure that only ex-players can prove to be good administrators.

They feel French football legend and now tainted former UEFA boss Michel Platini is an example of how things may go haywire even if a top player comes in administration.

If there are sweeping changes suggested which are legally binding, then there could be an administrative shake up just before the marquee ICC World T20.

"Is there a guarantee that former players would do a better job than politicians turned sports administrators? If that is so why did Michel Platini get banned for eight years on charges of financial impropriety," a senior politician and prominent BCCI official questioned.

"One of the finest and prudent presidents of BCCI was Late NKP Salve. Similarly late Jagmohan Dalmiya was a businessman and IS Bindra, a bureaucrat. Didn't they make BCCI a financially stable organisation," he added.

For top BCCI officials, their argument is "We are elected members of state associations. We have come through Democratic election process. We believe a person can be wrong but not the profession."