Accept Lodha Committee Reforms or No BCCI Money: Supreme Court Tells State Bodies

Unhappy with the Board of Control for Cricket in India's manner of distributing funds to its affiliated units, the Supreme Court on Friday ordered state associations not to utilise huge grants it received post the BCCI AGM on September 21. The Court will hear the BCCI after the Puja vacation ends on October 17.

In a jolt to the BCCI top brass, the Supreme Court directed the Board president Anurag Thakur to clarify if he had sought the International Cricket Council's view whether implementation of Lodha reforms amounted to governmental interference.

Supreme Court also directed senior BCCI official Ratnakar Shetty to keep the court posted on the affidavits the bench wants to be filed.

The Supreme Court on Thursday expressed its unhappiness at the way it had transferred huge sums of money to state association as infrastructure grants. The Bench said: "BCCI must have a transparent policy on money disbursement to state associations. You can't transfer 400 crore overnight."

The Lodha committee had objected to the BCCI's hurriedly-made fund transfer and had asked the Board's bankers to stop these transactions, pending its review. Thirteen state units received TV rights money from the BCCI. 

"Don't disburse money to associations who are reluctant to be reformed ... why are you discussing money in a hurry?" Justice TS Thakur, head of the bench, said on Thursday, hinting clearly that not only the BCCI, but its affiliates will also have to adopt the Lodha committee reforms.

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.

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 Thursday, 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 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."

Justice Thakur said :"Fall in line otherwise we will make you fall in line."