SC may review two clauses of Lodha panel’s cricket reforms
BCCI opposed onestate, onevote and cooling off period norms
NEWDELHI: The Supreme Court on Thursday said it could review two contentious provisions of the RM Lodha Committee report on reforming the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) even as it reserved its order finalising the Indian cricket board’s draft constitution.
The finalisation of the constitution is expected to end the chaos in Indian cricket’s administration and also end the ongoing tussle between the apex court appointed Committee of Administrators and the board. The final order is expected in two weeks.
The two contentious clauses are the so-called one-state, onevote norm and another on a cooling off period for office bearers of BCCI before they contest another election of the board. Two states, Maharashtra and Gujarat, have multiple votes: Mumbai, the Cricket Club of India, Vidarbha and Maharashtra (four votes) in the case of the first, and Gujarat, Saurashtra, and Baroda (three) in the case of the second. This means the two states get more share of BCCI money that is doled
out to the members, and also have more say (votes). Both recommendations of the Lodha committee were opposed by BCCI and Thursday’s observations by the apex court come as a boost to it.
The board’s position was that members would be deprived of voting rights that they have been entitled to for decades and that the cooling-off clause would affect continuity in administration.
The court observed that it could reconsider the Lodha committee’s recommendation on each state having just one vote, and that there need not be a cooling off period if a BCCI office bearer wants to contest a different post.
“What is the need of cooling off period when a person is not contesting for the same post?” asked chief justice of India (CJI) Dipak
Misra. “The Lodha panel suggestion was that there should be a cooling off period between two consecutive terms for an officebearer. After a tenure in a particular post of BCCI, the officebearer may contest for some other post. There is no need for a cooling off period in between,” observed justice DY Chandrachud.
Expectedly, BCCI officials welcomed the court’s comments. “The Honourable judges heard our plea and made observations which has filled us with positivity,” BCCI acting secretary Amitabh Chaudhary told PTI.
Asked to comment on the Supreme Court agreeing to modify the key ‘one state, one vote’ and ‘cooling-off period’ clauses, former justice Lodha said it would render the whole exercise ineffective.
“I have been very clear that these suggestions, which have the seal of the court, are the heart and lungs of the reforms. If they are in any way modified, the very efficacy of the reforms would be lost.” The bench said it would ratify the new BCCI constitution with necessary changes, directing that state units wait for its order before holding any fresh polls. The elections of the Delhi and District Cricket Association were held under a court officer earlier this week. BCCI officials also opposed the Lodha committee recommendation that bars ministers and those over 70 years of age from holding office in cricket administration.