Indian cricket’s governing body Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) hasn’t given up in its battle against the Lodha panel reforms. It is apparent that the board had filed an ‘application for directors’ in the Supreme Court’ in the Supreme Court on September 28, with a ‘prayer’ that the implementation of the reforms, which were accepted by the apex court on July 28 in its final order, be suspended till the review and curative petition are heard by the court.
BCCI in an application has alleged, “The timelines framed by the panel do not take into account the legal remedies available to the applicant in the form of review and curative petition. It is humbly submitted that in case the applicant is to exercise these effectively, adequate time frame ought to be granted for the same.”
The application further said, “The application is being made bona fide and in the interest of justice. Grave and irreparable loss, harm and prejudice will be caused to the applicant if the application is not heard,” the BCCI pleaded.
“It is therefore respectfully prayed that this Honourable court may be pleased to pass an order suspending the implementation of the judgement dated 18.7.2016,” the application said, which was filed by BCCI counsel Radha Rangaswamy.
The application was accompanied by an affidavit filed by Ratnakar Shetty, the board’s general manager admin and game development.
The release also underlined that the BCCI has accepted some of the Supreme Court appointed RM Lodha Committee’s recommendations at its Special General Meeting (SGM), but it did not reveal which recommendation they adopted.
BCCI also rejected the recommendation of ‘one state and one vote’ reform, it is clear that the cricket body’s members weren’t in favour of following the Lodha Committee’s directive to ask the six associations in Maharashtra and Gujarat to vote on a rotational basis.
BCCI’s this stance is different from what the working committee of the BCCI, which was held on July 22, four days after the Supreme Court had accepted the reforms on July 18, took on the issue.
BCCI secretary Ajay Shirke quoting the first compliance report decision has said, “In the case of the two states where they were more than one full member, the secretary is to send letters to the six concerned associations in Maharashtra and Gujarat to decide among themselves, who should be the full member for the first term. These members have been asked to send their preferences no later than September 25 so that the BCCI can take a final decision.”
“Yes, they have had meetings amongst themselves, and while Maharashtra could agree to first representation in their state, Gujarat couldn’t,” Shirke told TOI on Saturday.
However, Shirke earlier said that “the list of those members who may become ineligible for holding office post implementation of the Lodha Committee report is being prepared and being circulated to the state associations by September 25.” This list was never circulated, as was confirmed by a few state association officials.
Shirke had also made it clear in the compliance report that “the board, without prejudice to its rights and privileges as available to it under the law, will chalk out a programme as per the schedule laid out by the Lodha panel.