With a defiant BCCI declining to comply with the recommendations of the Lodha Panel on the board’s reforms, the Supreme Court will pass an order tomorrow that could decide the future of cricket administration in India.
Justice R.M. Lodha-led committee has recommended the systematic ouster of the entire brass of the cash-rich Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), including its president and BJP MP Anurag Thakur.
The Supreme Court today 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.
Despite being warned by the apex court that it should fall in line or the court would make it do so, the BCCI has taken a defiant stand.
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.
While it has cherry-picked a few reforms, the BCCI had been steadfastly opposing the Lodha committee's one-state-one-vote proposal, age and tenure caps, saying it was governed by the Tamil Nadu Societies Registration Act, 1975 and not a Supreme Court-appointed committee.
The BCCI is currently composed of 30 affiliates with multiple voting units from the states of Maharashtra and Gujarat. The Lodha panel is against this policy.
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.
