SC bars elections in state associations

Satya Prakash

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, July 5

The Supreme Court on Thursday restrained state cricket associations from holding elections until the court has finalised the draft constitution of the Board of Control of Cricket in India (BCCI).

The order pertains to only future elections and thus does not affect the recent Delhi and District Cricket Association election.

A three-judge Bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra, which reserved its order on the draft BCCI constitution, also restrained high courts from entertaining petitions on the appointment of administrators for state associations.

The constitution finalised by the top court would be binding on BCCI. The Bench made it clear that any amendment to the constitution could be made only with its prior approval. Many advocates representing various state associations had submitted that once the draft was finalised, associations should be allowed to follow the law under which they had been registered, and should be free to amend the constitution in future. However, the Bench rejected the submission.

The Bench, however, said it will consider modifying the earlier verdict on ‘one state, one vote’ and interpretation of the cooling-off period for cricket’s office-bearers. Amicus Curiae Gopal Subramanium submitted he was ready to concede that instead of three, there should be five national selectors, and that Railways should be given full membership. 

The Lodha panel was formed in January 2015 in the wake of the Justice Mukul Mudgal Committee report that had called for reforms in BCCI, after BCCI officials had tried to cover up the 2013 IPL betting and spot-fixing scandal.