Defiant BCCI making joke of reforms
MUMBAI : The BCCI’s repeated refusal to accept the Supreme Court ratified Justice RM Lodha committee reforms is making a mockery of nation’s highest seat of judiciary. More importantly, the time taken and the resources spent over legal matters make one wonder if the clean-up process has been worth it.
The BCCI, which has been resisting the Lodha reforms for over a year, again cocked a snook at the apex court’s verdict at its SGM in Delhi on Wednesday.
The Supreme Court, in its last hearing on Monday, had offered a juicy half-volley to the BCCI when it agreed to look into the “practical difficulties” in implementing some of the reforms, like the one-state-one-vote policy and membership issues.
Like a top batsman, the BCCI has taken advantage of the loose ball and audaciously drove the itchy reforms, including the age and tenure clause, to the ropes.
The BCCI’s decision to cherry pick the ‘reforms’ has not gone down well with RM Lodha, whose recommendations were made binding on the BCCI in July last. Justice Lodha said he was “shocked” to see BCCI reject all the major reforms. “The heart, kidney, lungs are being taken out of these reforms,” Justice Lodha has been quoted as saying in a leading newspaper. “What is the point in deliberating when the verdict is already given by the Supreme Court?... it means BCCI is not interested in implementing the reforms.”
Lawyers representing the petitioners tell HT that BCCI is wrongly interpreting the Supreme Court orders. “The Court has only said that it shall look into the “practicability” of executing the reforms, it has not said that they have been waived off. So BCCI should not count their chicken before they hatch.”
Although Justice Lodha expects SC to take cognizance of BCCI’s latest act of defiance, the way the board has been brazenly interpreted court orders to suit itself is a mockery of justice. Asking its CEO Rahul Johri to stay away from the SGM because “only eligible officer bearers are allowed” was the joke. Who appointed Johri, after all?
BCCI’s legal expenditure has already crossed ~100 crore since the 2013 IPL spot-fixing scandal. Reports suggest approximately ~9 lakh is spent per day towards footing legal bill at various levels. This includes fee of experts like Aryama Sundaram, Kapil Sibal, Mukul Rohatgi, Shekhar Naphade and Arvind Datar, and expenses of two investigative and advisory bodies, appointed by the court, Justice Mukul Mudgal and Lodha panels.
The BCCI had to shell out ~1 lakh for every working day of the three-member Mudgal Committee to investigate the IPL scandal. The Supreme Court constituted this committee in October 2013 and the report was submitted in November 2014.
BCCI’s expenses on Lodha Committee’s remuneration were ~3.5 crore. Four years have been spent on legal battles and is unlikely to end soon. The confusion over tenure and eligibility of (voting) membership is likely to drag on. BCCI loves to play the waiting game.