SC dilutes Lodha panel recommendations; approves BCCI Constitution

Satya Prakash

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, August 9

The Supreme Court on Thursday approved the much-awaited draft constitution of the BCCI with certain changes, giving a go-by to “one state, one vote” principle and diluting cooling off period recommended by the Justice RM Lodha committee.

The verdict pronounced by a Bench headed by Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra restored full memberships to cricket associations of Saurashtra, Vadodara in Gujarat and Mumbai and Vidarbha in Maharashtra, Railways, Services and Association of Indian Universities in view of their contribution to cricket in India.

Now Gujarat and Maharashtra will have three associations each having full membership of BCCI.

“These associations have a long and abiding history of nurturing talent for the game of cricket in India. The history of cricket in India is replete with their contribution to the cause of cricket. These associations have produced players who have brought laurels to their states and to the nation,” said the Bench, which also included Justice AM Khanwilkar and Justice DY Chandrachud.

Their full BCCI membership was cancelled after Lodha Committee’s recommendation on “one state, one vote” was implemented.

In further relief to BCCI, the Bench also diluted the cooling-off norm as it said cooling-off period would not start after every three-year term of an office-bearer.

Instead, it would be imposed after two consecutive terms in the BCCI or a state cricket association or both which effectively comes to six years.

The term for all posts of BCCI office bearers and state associations’ officials shall be three years and no person shall remain in office for more than a total of nine years, it said.

The Bench also increased the number of selectors from three (recommended by Lodha panel) to five as it accepted the suggestions made by Amicus Curiae Gopal Subramanium.

The selectors should have played a minimum of seven Test matches or 30 first class matches or 10 One Day Internationals in the 50-over format and a minimum of 20 first class matches, it said.

The verdict dilutes many of the recommendations of the Lodha committee which were imposed on the BCCI by judicial orders. The BCCI and many state cricket associations had been crying foul over implementation of the Lodha committee recommendations.

The BCCI Constitution has to be registered as the Tamil Nadu Registrar of Societies and a compliance report has to be filed with the Supreme Court Registrar General in four weeks.

After the registration of BCCI Constitution, each of the members has to register their respective constitutions on similar lines in 30 days thereafter.

The Bench had in May this year said that some of the recommendations of the Justice RM Lodha panel, particularly those on ‘one-state, one-vote’ policy might be reconsidered.

The Committee of Administrators had submitted the draft BCCI Constitution in October 2017 and the Bench invited suggestions and objections from various cricket associations to the draft.