SC agrees to consider modifying order on implementation of Lodha panel report : The Tribune India

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SC agrees to consider modifying order on implementation of Lodha panel report

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Monday said it was willing to reconsider certain points of its order for implementation of Lodha panel report, including ''one state-one vote'' policy and reduction of number of selectors from five to three.

SC agrees to consider modifying order on implementation of Lodha panel report

N Srinivasan. File photo



Satya Prakash

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, July 24

The Supreme Court on Monday said it was willing to reconsider certain points of its order for implementation of Lodha panel report, including 'one state-one vote' policy and reduction of number of selectors from five to three.

 The order came after Solicitor General Ranjit Kumar submitted that regular BCCI members such as Railways and Defence Services and Association of Indian Universities had been reduced to associate members without voting rights because of 'one state-one vote' policy.

 Kumar was supported by BCCI counsel Puneet Bali, who batted for Saurashtra and Baroda and sought to impress upon the court that the order needed modification.

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 A Bench headed by Justice Dipak Misra, however, refused to allow former BCCI President N Srinivasan and former cricket administrator Niranjan Shah to attend the July 26 Special General Meeting of BCCI as a representative of Tamil Nadu Cricket Association. Only State Cricket Association office-bearers can attend the SGM, the Bench said.

 

Srinivasan and Shah wanted to attend the SGM as nominees of Tamil Nadu Cricket Association and Saurashtra Cricket Association, respectively, despite being disqualified.

Senior counsel Kapil Sibal told the Bench on behalf of Srinivasan that his client could be shown to be villain as he had done so much for Indian Cricket.

 

Forced to resign as BCCI President following the 2013 IPL spot-fixing and betting controversy, Srinivasan has been opposing the implementation of Lodha panel report, which recommended that no official over the age of 70 should participate in BCCI affairs.

 

In its July 18, 2016 verdict, the top court had accepted the Lodha panel report aimed at streamlining the BCCI to make it more responsive and accountable having regard to aspiration of different regions for an equal opportunity to participate in the growth and promotion of cricket in India.

 

It had accepted Lodha panel’s recommendation that the status of clubs and boards like Railways Sports Promotion Board, Association of Indian Universities, Services Sports Control Board, National Cricket Club (Kolkata) and Cricket Club of India (Bombay) be not considered as full members as they did not represent any geographical territory.

 

However, on Monday the Bench said: "One state-one vote may not be a good idea in this country. There are Railways, Services, Universities, Maharashtra and Baroda. Their arguments have impressed us to some extent. We may consider the issue in future debates. How, many vote they can have, we will debate."

 

It said it could re-consider the issue of restricting the national selection panel of cricketers to three members. Earlier, BCCI used to have a five-member panel of national selectors representing five cricket zones. But the number of selectors was reduced to three in accordance with Lodha panel recommendations.

 

 

The court also asked state cricket bodies to implement administrative reforms recommended by the Lodha panel report "as far as practical", barring certain issues that could be debated.

Srinivasan held the position of president of the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association until he stepped down earlier this year after he was disqualified from holding office, but continues to be member of the association. Niranjan Shah is the president of the Saurashtra Cricket Association. Both their positions remain controversial in the light of a court-appointed panel’s recommendations of an age restriction of 70 for office bearers.  Srinivasan is 72, while Shah is 73.

Both attended a meeting of the board on June 26 in their official capacity, prompting the Supreme Court to severely reproach them.

A panel under former chief justice of India RM Lodha recommended an overhaul in the administrative function of the BCCI, the world’s richest cricket body. The court appointed the panel after its reputation took a beating from a series of corruption scandals.  Agencies

 

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