BCCI to use sports bill as shield against Lodha panel

Sabi Hussain

Tribune News Service

greater noida, August 25

The India cricket board (BCCI), which had been dead opposed against the National Sports Development Bill for many years, has now decided to use it as a shield against Justice Lodha panel’s recommendations.

After being rattled by the panel, the BCCI has now found reasons to support the sports code to block some of the proposed recommendations.

Senior BCCI functionaries, who are also members of Parliament, are actively trying to introduce the Draft Sports Bill 2013 in the budget session next year. BCCI office-bearers, including state association officials, are ready to bring in changes into their functioning with regards to the sports code. Such is the desperation that the BCCI is even ready to come under Right to Information (RTI) act.

The Justice Lodha committee has suggested the BCCI to bring in administrative reforms into its functioning by incorporating some of the recommendations such as one state-one vote, age and tenure, RTI and bar on ministers and serving bureaucrats from occupying positions in the board.

The draft version of the sports code also has some of these provisions but the BCCI believes that by getting different political parties on board and building a general consensus, a watered down sports bill could be introduced in the Parliament.

“The committee recommendations would destroy the entire structure of the BCCI. Instead of fully complying with the panel, it would be better to build a political consensus and get the sports bill introduced in the next budget session. The BCCI now sees the sports bill as a saviour,” a BCCI official said.

“Since the BCCI doesn’t take any money from the government, it would be imperative to make amendments to the existing RTI act so as to minimise its effect. We would retain the age clause of 70 years but may do away with the cooling off period and tenure part. There wouldn’t be any bar on ministers and bureaucrats from occupying key positions in the BCCI and state associations in the new sports bill,” the official added.

The official also informed that the BCCI would go ahead with the Annual General Meeting on September 21 in Mumbai. The official said that a new set of national selectors, including the chairman, would be picked during the meeting.

“If the Lodha panel has any objection, it will have to file the status report with the two-judge bench of the Supreme Court. If the SC raises any objection and passes a stricture, then only the AGM can be described as “null and void” and the BCCI is liable to face action,” the official said.