Judicial probe could be a way out of murky scenario
Politicians should ponder whether it’s worth getting into cricket administration. In recent times, allegations of quid pro quo and corruption in cricket have brought Parliament to a standstill, trapping big names in its tentacles and threatening the stability of Indian democracy.
The Lalit Modi issue, in which Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj was accused of helping out Modi, who is facing charges of economic offenses related to his tenure as Indian Premier League chairman, created a furore in Parliament. Modi, the creator of the biggest cricketing event in the country, is now being probed by the Economic Directorate for alleged FERA violations.
Today, it is Finance Minister Arun Jaitley who is facing the heat. Jaitley, who has an impeccable public image and is largely seen as a politician who has never been tainted with financial impropriety, now finds himself being targeted for his role as the president of the Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA).
Since its inception, DDCA has been mired in factional fights, allegations of corruption and power struggles where everyone who was a nobody wanted to become big and important. Be it the seventies, eighties, nineties or now, nothing seems to have changed there. The venal culture of cricket, which has become worse with mega bucks pouring into the game that finally devoured its top administrator, N Srinivasan through court interventions, is set for major reforms.
The Supreme Court has en trusted the Lodha Commission with the task of suggesting major constitutional reforms that would introduce much-needed checks and balances for a transparent functioning of the Board.
The state units of the Board are the worst culprits, with none of them being held accountable by the parent body for the huge subsidies it provides them. The Lodha Commission is seized of the matter and one assumes it will address this issue when it gives its report. USHERING IN REFORMS Shas hank Manoh ar, who replaced Srinivasan and is promising to usher in these reforms even before the Lodha Commission has made its recommendations, has already ruffled feathers in the Board.
So deep-rooted is the vested interest that any move that leads to a more transparent functioning will find resistance from within. But it is important for everyone within the Board to realise that times have changed and if they don’t fall in line, they would be forced to do so through a court order.
As far as the DDCA goes, there have been a lot of allegations and counter allegations thrown around to make things appear murkier than they already are. Who is guilty or who is not is not for us to guess.
It will be in the fitness of things and for the good of everyone involved that a judicial probe, much like what the Supreme Court did with the IPL allegations, is ordered to bring out the truth.
SO DEEP-ROOTED IS THE VESTED INTEREST THAT ANY MOVE THAT LEADS TO A TRANSPARENT FUNCTIONING WILL FIND RESISTANCE