BCCI misses first deadline to implement Lodha panel reforms

Sabi Hussain

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, September 30

The BCCI today missed the September 30 deadline set by the Supreme Court-appointed Justice Lodha committee to implement the first set of changes to bring in administrative reforms in it’s functioning.

The BCCI adjourned its much-awaited Special General Meeting (SGM) until tomorrow after nearly 15 member representatives of the state associations came to the meeting without the necessary authorisation letter.

The SGM, which lasted just 5 to 10 minutes on Friday, will reconvene on Saturday at 12 noon. The BCCI has 31 full members, including the associate units from the North-East region without voting rights.

“The authorisation letters of the representatives from various state associations have not reached so they have been given a day’s time to get the letters from their respective state associations,” said Rajeev Shukla, chairman, IPL Governing Council.

The authorisation letters were required as the BCCI wanted the member representative to take decision on behalf of their respective associations.

“Whatever decision the BCCI will take regarding the changes suggested by the Lodha committee, the member representative should be authorised to present his views on the matter. He should be able to say ‘yes or no’ to the reforms. A state association can’t go back on its word by stating that the person who attended the SGM wasn’t authorised by the president or secretary of the affiliated unit to take the decision,” a BCCI insider explained.

Whether the adjournment was a part of delaying tactics or the lack of consensus among the members on implementing the reforms, the BCCI’s decision technically amounted to “contempt of court”. According to a source, if the BCCI doesn’t amend its constitution/memorandum of association/rules and regulations and bye-laws at the SGM, then it would be inviting Supreme Court’s wrath on October 6, the day by which the Board has to file its response with regards to the Lodha panel’s status report. “If the BCCI agrees to carry out the reforms at the SGM on Saturday, the Court will not be initiating contempt proceedings against its office-bearers. The Court and the Lodha committee would be that much considerate. But if they defy the orders, which is highly unlikely after the Apex Court’s rap, then the entire BCCI top brass will be removed and a panel of administrators, under the chairmanship of Justice RM Lodha, will carry out the reforms within the stipulated deadline of December 30,” the source said.

The source also said the BCCI’s top bosses did not get time to discuss the strategy, another reason behind the adjournment.