Timeline: All You Need to Know About the BCCI-Lodha Panel Debate
The Lodha panel demands the removal of the entire top brass of the BCCI, including president Anurag Thakur.
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The long-standing fight between the Lodha Panel and the autonomous cricketing body of India, BCCI, has finally taken a massive turn. In April 2015, the Supreme Court elected the Lodha Panel to lay down recommendations so as to bring transparency in the working system of the richest cricketing board in the world. After almost two years of endless court hearings, the SC on Monday removed BCCI President Anurag Thakur and Secretary Ajay Shirke from their positions due to non-compliance with its orders.
The Quint brings you the timeline of the Lodha panel recommendations for BCCI and the Supreme Court hearings on the case.
14 April 2015: A list of 82 questions, divided into eight segments, were sent to BCCI by the Lodha Panel, describing how cricket runs in this country.
4 January 2016: Justice RM Lodha panel submits its report to the Supreme Court on various required reforms in the BCCI. The major aspects covered were one state-one vote and the age limit of the BCCI office bearers. The panel also suggested that no one above the age of 70 years will be allowed to hold positions in the board or in any sports associations across the country.
7 January 2016: Anurag Thakur, then BCCI secretary, acknowledges the Lodha panel recommendations and asks each of the state associations to study the report and determine the affects of the suggestions if implemented and also to submit their findings by 31 January 2016.
22 January 2016: The apex court agrees to hear plea of the Cricket Association of Bihar (CAB) seeking the implementation of report of Justice RM Lodha panel.
4 February 2016: The Supreme Court sets 3 March 2016 as the deadline for the BCCI to make their stance clear after the latter was seen delaying the response to the Lodha panel Recommendations.
24 February 2016: SC agrees to hear BJP leader Subramanian Swamy’s plea against the Lodha Committee’s order of suspending IPL franchisee Chennai Super Kings for two years.
3 March 2016: The Supreme Court pulls up the BCCI over reluctance to accept Lodha panel’s recommendations within the given time and questions the board over lack of transparency in funds to states.
3 March 2016: The top court says that it will ask the Lodha panel to reconsider few of their suggestions, but also looked unhappy with the board’s approach of being stubborn and reluctant towards making any changes required.
On Thakur saying he was not consulted before the recommendations were finalised, the bench asks: “It was international news that we had formed the Justice Lodha committee to suggest reforms in cricket. The whole world knew it. Now you come to us and say the recommendations were a bolt from the blue for you and you were not consulted... What were you doing? Waiting at the fence for a written invitation?”
5 April 2016: The Supreme Court slams the richest cricketing body in the world for having a careless approach, of not keeping a proper note on how much money has been spent in the last five years, saying it was “practically corrupting” its members by not seeking any explanation on the same.
8 April 2016: The Supreme Court questions the BCCI for maintaining that any judicial interference in its functioning would compromise its autonomy, says the cricketing body was resisting recommendations to reform laid by the Lodha panel.
13 April 2016: The Supreme Court asks the central government whether it can take over cricketing activities by enacting a law.
25 April 2016: The apex court shows displeasure with BCCI’s working regime saying, ‘You have complete monopoly. If any cricket club or association wants to do anything, we are least bothered. We are not here to reform every cricketing club. But if any institution is discharging public duty like BCCI, then any organisation or association associated with it will have to reform itself.’
29 April 2016: On being questioned by the Tamil Nadu Sports Association on the retirement age of the board and its related associations’ office bearers, the Supreme Court says if the politicians can retire at the age of 70 then why not BCCI officials.
2 May 2016: The Supreme Court makes it clear that the BCCI and all of its state associations will have to “fall in line” with the recommendations of Justice RM Lodha panel.
3 May 2016: The apex court says that the constitution of BCCI is highly incapable of achieving values of transparency, objectivity and accountability, which can only be attained by bringing in reforms suggested by the Lodha panel. The BCCI told the Supreme Court that betting in cricket matches can be legalised only if a central law is enacted in this regard.
10 May 2016: The reforms which were laid by the Lodha panel will not pull the body back, says Supreme Court, clarifying that it does not intend to reduce popularity of the board or hinder its growth.
30 June 2016: In the case concerning the implementations of the Lodha committee recommendations in BCCI, the hearings end in Supreme Court. The two-judge bench will now submit their judgement to the concerned parties on 22 July.
18 July 2016: SC accepts major recommendations of Lodha panel on reforms in BCCI including a bar on ministers and civil servants and those above the age of 70 from becoming its members; leaves it to Parliament to decide if the board should come under RTI and on whether betting should be legalised.
28 September 2016: The Lodha panel demands the removal of the entire top brass of the BCCI, including the recently elected president Anurag Thakur, seeking transparency in the working regime of the board and aims in reconstructing the organisational hierarchy.
1 October 2016: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) decided to accept some of the Lodha Committee recommendations at the Special General Meeting (SGM) in Mumbai. But they didn’t accept the formation of a three-member selection panel, committee’s recommendation of one state-one vote and the suggestion of age limit (70 years) for the office bearers.
21 October 2016: The SC asked the Lodha Panel to fix a monetary ceiling for the Board of Control for Cricket in India. The BCCI subsequently had to get the panel’s approval during transactions above the monetary ceiling, for example, money disbursed for the India-England series. The SC also asked the BCCI not to release funds to the state associations till they promise to implement the Lodha Committee recommendations.
15 December 2016: The SC suggested that BCCI president Anurag Thakur was guilty of committing perjury by writing to the International Cricket Council (ICC) earlier this year which, in the view of amicus curiae Gopal Subramaniam, amounted to outside interference.
2 January 2017: Cracking the whip on the BCCI, the Supreme Court sacked President Anurag Thakur and Secretary Ajay Shirke from their respective posts.
(With inputs from ESPNCricinfo and The Hindu)
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