New Delhi: The Supreme Court will hear on December 9 the Cricket Association of Bihar’s (CAB) plea seeking a direction to BCCI to implement Lodha panel suggestions, including appointment of ex-home secretary G.K. Pillai as observer and sacking of all office bearers who are in violation of its recommendations.
The matter, which was listed for Monday, could not be taken up as Chief Justice T.S. Thakur, heading the bench concerned, did not hold the court. The case has now been listed for December 9.
The apex court had on November 25 agreed to hear CAB’s plea after perusing the third status report submitted by Justice R.M. Lodha committee on BCCI reforms.
In the status report submitted on November 14, the Lodha panel has sought a direction to appoint Pillai as an observer to “guide” BCCI in administrative works including award of contracts, transparency norms and holding of future domestic, international and IPL matches.
The committee has also sought a declaration from the court that all office bearers of cash-rich BCCI and state cricket bodies, who are in violation of laid down norms with regard to 70 year age cap, citizenship and tenures, “cease to hold office forthwith”.
On July 18, the apex court had accepted almost all major recommendations of the Lodha committee on reforms in BCCI including a bar on ministers and civil servants and those above 70 from becoming its members, but left it to Parliament to decide whether it should come under RTI and betting on the game should be legalised.
It had also accepted the recommendations of the committee to have a CAG nominee in BCCI and had rejected BCCI's objection to recommendations for one-state-one-vote.
The court had also accepted the recommendation that one person should hold one post in cricket administration to avoid any conflict of interest and scrapping of all other administrative committees in BCCI after the CAG nominee comes in.
BCCI a spoilt brat: Azad
Hailing the recommendations by the Supreme Court appointed Justice RM Lodha committee for the BCCI, suspended BJP MP Kirti Azad has suggested that such proposal should also come in for other sports bodies in the country.
“BCCI is like a spoiled brat obsessed with a toy that is cricket and unwilling to let it go,” said Azad.
“Why are they opposing Lodha committee recommendations?” questioned Azad.
The high powered Lodha committee was appointed by the Supreme Court for overhaul of Indian cricket.
Referring to the IPL mess, Azad said, it was not proper to single out Lalit Modi for the entire set of problems. “All members of the then 2009 IPL governing council are equally responsible for the mess created in the league and singling out Lalit Modi is improper,” said the former cricketer.
“Why didn’t anyone (members of the governing council) show any dissent then?” asked Azad. On shifting of IPL games to South Africa and the mess that followed, Azad said, office-bearers of then BCCI at that time should have been aware of the law of the land. They unite for corruption and align for position.
“Cricket is popular because of players and not because of administrators and why are the officials then clinging to power,” Azad said. On the issue of age and one state one vote, Azad said, that none of the north-eastern states and Bihar are having any votes or cricket development and the BCCI officials are silent for so long.
DDCA is habitual offender and used, misused and abused government departments for their benefits and were illegal squatters of its premises, Azad alleged.
Penalty should be levied for sub-standard wickets prepared, said Azad while replying on the neutral venue experiment by BCCI.
