BCCI told new statute must be in place before AGM

Despite the BCCI members putting up stiff resistence to implement the Lodha Committee reforms, Committee of Administrators chairman Vinod Rai is confident it can fulfil the Supreme Court mandate.

The CoA, down to three members after Ramchandra Guha’s resignation, was asked by the Apex court to implement its order of July 18 last year.

However, criticism is growing with the CoA unable to make any breakthrough in implementing the Lodha report since being formed in January.

Rai is optimistic the October deadline set by the CoA to implement the reforms will be met despite the BCCI’s dilly-dallying.

“The timeline remains the same, the (BCCI) AGM is in September. A new constitution will either be adopted by the SGM or the Supreme Court will direct. Then the AGM will meet.

“I am hoping by October 31 our work will be done as the new office-bearers would have been elected as per the new constitution,” Rai said after a meeting here on Saturday.

The BCCI SGM on July 27 has made the CoA’s task tougher after deciding to form a special committee to study the difficulties in accepting certain reforms suggested by the Lodha panel.

“There is no question of being disappointed or not,” Rai said when asked about the SGM’s outcome. “We have a mandate to fulfil and we are geared up to fulfil it whether the SGM takes a decision this way or that.”