Another Breather for BCCI: SC Tells Board to Get States in Line

Another deadline for the BCCI. This time, to get State associations in line.

(The Quint)

If you thought Friday would be the day Anurag Thakur and the rest of BCCI’s command centre was going to be disbanded, this report is bound to disappoint.

On their last working day before the pooja holidays, the Supreme Court bench headed by Chief Justice of India TS Thakur waited till the afternoon session to declare that the BCCI was going to be given–yet another–last chance.

After slamming the board for its "defiant attitude" and giving them a one-day deadline on Thursday to "fall in line" and adopt the Lodha Committee's directions, the Supreme Court have now given the BCCI a 17 October deadline.

What needs to be accomplished by then?

All state associations affiliated to the BCCI are to sign a written undertaking that they will implement the recommendations of the Lodha Committee. Till the time such a resolution is passed, no association will receive any bank transaction from the BCCI. In fact, the Supreme Court also instructed that the Rs 16.72 crore that was disbursed to the state bodies following the September 30 SGM, too will not be spent till the they file an affidavit on reforms.

The court has asked BCCI President Anurag Thakur to file a personal affidavit stating whether he has written to International Cricket Council (ICC) Chairman David Richardson, asking the game's world governing body to take a stand that the Supreme Court judgement and the Lodha Committee recommendations would amount to government interference in the affairs of the BCCI.

The next hearing of the matter is on October 17 when the Supreme Court reopens.

The Story So Far

The Supreme Court had lashed out at the BCCI last week, warning that the board will be forced to comply with the Lodha panel verdict if they did not implement the suggested changes by October 6.

On Thursday, senior counsel Kapil Sibal, appearing on behalf of the BCCI, has pleaded before the court that it would be difficult for the BCCI to give an unconditional undertaking by Friday that it will hold back the funding of its state affiliates who would resist organisational reforms.

In response the bench of Chief Justice Tirath Singh Thakur, Justice A.M. Khanwilkar and Justice D.Y. Chandrachud had asserted that it would pass an order to that effect on Friday. The court had also indicated that the board had two options -- one to appoint a panel of administrators to oversee the transition in BCCI or ask the Lodha Committee to do it.