BCCI officials' fate hangs in balance as SC adjourns Lodha panel hearing

Mumbai: The Supreme Court has adjourned the Justice RM Lodha-led committee's hearing, where the latter was set to present its third status report on the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), till Friday, December 9.

According to reports, Justice TS Thakur, who is one of the three judges on the bench for the hearing is unwell, which is why the SC decided to re-schedule the hearing, which is now set to be held on Friday.

The meeting, which was adjourned till Friday, was supposed to be held on Monday, when the Lodha panel was expected to table their third status report to the SC.

The Lodha panel had earlier recommended the apex court to disband all BCCI and state unit officials, who fail to fall in line with its reforms.

The panel, which has been appointed by the SC, had also suggested that the state unites of cricket administration in the country be barred from BCCI funds until they accept all the reforms suggested by it.

However, the BCCI and all its member units have put up a defiant resistance against the Lodha reforms, with the exception of three associations – Hyderabad Cricket Association, Vidarbha Cricket Association, and Tripura Cricket Association.

The panel had also recommended that ex-union home secretary GK Pillai be appointed as the chief observer of the BCCI. Pillai, if appointed, is set to bring in his own team of auditors to go through all of the Indian cricket board’s books. He may also have the last call on lucrative broadcast-rights deal for the 2018 Indian Premier League (IPL).