Supreme Court gives BCCI time till today to fall in line

Cricket board asked to give an undertaking it will unconditionally agree to implement all recommendations of Lodha committee

The Supreme Court on Thursday gave the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) an ultimatum to submit an undertaking that it would unconditionally agree to implement all the recommendations of the Lodha committee.

A Bench headed by Chief Justice T S Thakur gave the BCCI till Friday to submit the undertaking. A Press Trust of India report suggested that the board might give the opportunity a miss. Several attempts to reach BCCI officials, including secretary Ajay Shirke, were unsuccessful.

Amid a tensed courtroom fight, Justice Thakur asked the BCCI whether the board was willing to implement the recommendations or not.

The BCCI submitted to the Bench its reply to the Lodha committee’s allegations that the board had not co-operated with the panel. It said most of the recommendations, like amending its constitution, were rejected by a majority of the BCCI members through voting at a recent meeting. Board president Anurag Thakur had said in an interview earlier the BCCI was bound by the Tamil Nadu Societies Act, which required approval by three-fourths majority to effect any amendments in its constitution.

The Lodha committee had accused the BCCI last week of not co-operating with it.

The board on Thursday said the allegation was not justified. The BCCI said it had written nearly 40 e-mails; these were submitted to the court.

Taking a dig at the board’s recent disbursement of large sums to state cricket associations, the SC observed such a move could not have been done overnight and ordered the board to stay away from doing such transactions.

Earlier, senior advocate Gopal Subramaniam, who is helping the court as an amicus curiae, alleged that the board had agreed to disburse Rs 400 crore during a special general body meeting in Mumbai on September 30. The BCCI, however, told the court it had not violated any of the panel’s orders, as the funds were distributed for expenses incurred during 2015-16. According to it, the funds were compensation received from broadcasters like STAR and Sony and were due for disbursement.

On Monday, the panel had asked YES Bank and Bank of Maharashtra to stop disbursements of large sums from the BCCI to the state associations. The BCCI, in turn, cried foul and said this might hamper the ongoing India-New Zealand series.

However, Lodha later clarified that the ban was not for expenses related to the ongoing series. In its status report last week, the SC-appointed three member panel, headed by former chief justice R M Lodha, alleged that the board had elected its secretary in the annual general body meeting illegally.  

The BCCI has already missed the first deadline of September 30 set by the Lodha committee to make constitutional amendments. The board is supposed to form a nine-member apex committee by December 15 to replace the present system of a working committee.

BOUNCY PITCH

• The SC will pass an order against the board on Friday if it fails to comply
   
• SC asked BCCI not to disburse any funds to state cricket bodies now
   
• Rs 400 crore disbursed to state cricket associations on September 30
   
• BCCI said funds were for expenses incurred during 2015-16
   
• Board says 40 e-mails sent to the panel
   
• BCCI ignores directives, says the recommendations were rejected by majority of its members by voting recently