Supreme Court Reserves Order on Implementation of Lodha Panel Report by BCCI
After several hearings, the Supreme Court had decided to give an order to the BCCI on the implementation of the Lodha panel report aimed at restructuring the Board
Highlights
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The Lodha panel report is aimed at restructuring the BCCI's governance
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The panel has suggested age and tenure caps for Board officials
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The Board has vehemently opposed the one-state-one-unit proposal
The Supreme Court has finally decided to issue an order to the Board of Control for Cricket in India on how to implement the Lodha panel report that is aimed at restructuring the Board's administration.
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A two-member bench comprising of Chief Justice TS Thakur and Justice Ibrahim Kalifullah has been hearing the matter for several months now. The judgement is likely to be delivered before July 21, the date when Justice Kalifulla retires. There will be no more hearing.
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On January 4, 2016, the Supreme Court released the recommendations made by the three-member Lodha panel. The proposals were mainly aimed at structural changes for better governance.
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Age and tenure caps, one-state-one-vote and accountability and distribution of BCCI's funds were mainly in focus.
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The BCCI and its affiliated units have steadfastly contested some of the proposals, the implementation of which will have far reaching consequences in the way the BCCI functions an earns and shares revenue.
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"You have complete monopoly. If any cricket club or association wants to do anything, we are least bothered. We are not here to reform every cricketing club.
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"But if any institution which is discharging public duty like BCCI, then any organisation or association associated with it will have to reform itself," the Supreme Court had bench had earlier said.
Amicus curiae and senior advocate Gopal Subramaniam not only briefed the bench about the arrest of the President, Secretary and Treasurer of the Goa Cricket Association, but also spoke about the affairs of other boards like Saurashtra Cricket Association and Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA).
While he was making the submissions, senior advocate Nalini Chidambram, appearing for Cricket Association of Bihar whose secretary Aditya Verma has approached the apex court, trained the guns on the newly-appointed BCCI president Anurag Thakur, claiming he was facing three criminal cases and has been elected to head the cash-rich sports body.
- With inputs from Suprita Das-