With the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) declining to provide an undertaking by Friday that it will comply with the recommendations of the Lodha Panel on the board’s reforms, the Supreme Court is set to pass an order today to ensure the board falls in line and public money is used transparently.
Angered over BCCI’s “defiant attitude”, the three-judge bench, led by chief justice TS Thakur, was forced to make a plea on Thursday for replacing the cricket body’s management with a panel of independent administrators and barring the funding of state cricket associations.
The Supreme Court had yesterday asked the BCCI to furnish an undertaking by tomorrow stating that it will unconditionally implement all recommendations of the Lodha panel. However, the BCCI's counsel Kapil Sibal expressed the board’s inability to do so. It also refused to give an undertaking against disbursal of grant to state bodies.
When the bench asked "are you going to give an unconditional undertaking tomorrow after seeking instruction,", Sibal said "it is very difficult."
"Then we will pass an order," said the bench, which was also pained at BCCI's stance that the verdicts and directions of the apex court and the Lodha panel were contrary to statutory provisions.
Chief Justice of India T S Thakur also ripped into the BCCI's argument that cricket body's office-bearers have special skills.
“Do BCCI office-bearers have special skills? Anurag Thakur played in one Ranji match before becoming BCCI president,” said CJI Thakur.
The court, during the course of the hearing, observed that "either BCCI elects new administrators or Lodha panel gives more time to BCCI to fall in line."
“Will you give an undertaking to implement Lodha committee reforms unconditionally or will the court have to pass an order?” a newly constituted Special Bench of Chief Justice T.S. Thakur, Justices AM Khanwilkar and DY Chandrachud asked BCCI's counsel.
The Supreme Court also took exception to BCCI’s plea that state associations are not under it. "Receiving money from BCCI is not the fundamental right of State associations," the Bench said.
CJI Thakur was furious with the fact that states voted against Lodha reforms. He said those associations should refund the money and no further funds be given if they don't intend to reform.
The top court observed that BCCI should have exercised transparency in funding state associations, and that Rs 400 crore can't be disbursed overnight.
