Justice Katju to advise BCCI on Lodha recommendations

The BCCI Working committee, which held a meeting in Mumbai on Tuesday, has constituted a panel headed by retired Justice Markandey Katju that will advise the country's sport's governing body on implementations of Lodha panel recommendations.

"The BCCI working committee and all other members felt that court judgment can impact the BCCI. So, the BCCI has appointed a panel headed by justice Katju to interact with the Lodha committee on how to implement the recommendations and what could be the implications of that. They can look into the details. They can discuss and guide the BCCI on that," Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) president Anurag Thakur told ANI.

The 41-year-old further said the decision would be beneficial for both Justice Lodha committee as well as the BCCI.

In a landmark judgment on July 18, the apex court gave BCCI six months time to implement the recommendations.

The court accepted the recommendation of 'one state, one vote', which was opposed by the cricket body said that there are states where cricket is not popular and the allotment of voting rights will not serve any purpose.

However, Gujarat and Maharashtra have been allowed to have three state cricket bodies, but they will be represented on a rotational basis.

The two-judge bench, comprising of Chief Justice T S Thakur and Justice Ibrahim Kalifullah, also accepted the recommendation of induction of representatives of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) within the board.

The BCCI had opposed the same while stating that the ICC may take it as the government's interference and will likely disfranchise the board for violating its rules.

The board had, however, suggested that CAG nominee in the BCCI should not have voting rights and he should be in just an advisory role.

The Lodha panel recommendation of having no minister in the BCCI above the age of 70 years has also been accepted.

The apex court had also told the board that no minister or government official can be a BCCI official.

The Supreme Court, which felt that BCCI discharges a public service and has complete monopoly over cricket in India, has left it on the Parliament to decide whether the BCCI should come under RTI or not.

Earlier on January 4, the Lodha panel had suggested legalising betting and that no minister can hold post in the BCCI.