Court set to put BCCI house in order

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Thursday could finally enforce a new constitution on one of the richest sporting bodies of the world, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). If implemented in full, several top BCCI officials, who have called the shots for years, will fall by the way side. Three top officials of the BCCI --- acting president CK Khanna, acting secretary Amitabh Choudhary and treasurer Anirudh Chaudhry---have been summoned by the Supreme Court. The troika will have to explain why the Lodha Committee reforms, which were made binding on the cricket Board by the apex court in July last year, have not been implemented yet.

‘SCANT REGARD’

“The current office-bearers of the BCCI have demonstrated scant regard for the directions issued by the Committee of Administrators and continue to fl out the same with impunity,” the CoA noted in its fifth status report.

Amitabh Choudhary could face censure because he has reportedly worked as a Jharkhand State Cricket Association signatory despite giving an undertaking in the court that he would not wear two caps as long as he was the B CC I’ s acting secretary. The Lodha Committee forbids double roles due to conflict of interest. In his defence, Choudha ry has submitted an affidavit in the Supreme Court on September 15. Choud ha ry claims that he has been in favour of implementing the Lodh are forms but“a handful members of the BCCI and a few office-bearers” have been stalling them.

INFIGHTING CLEAR

The infighting among BCCI top officials is very clear in the reply.

The BCCI has been opposing three main proposal son ,1. membership ,2. balance of power between elected office-bearers and professional appointees like the CEO and 3. tenure and cooling off period.