IPL rights: Lodha Committee turns up the heat on BCCI
The SC-appointed Lodha panel has said that it will not scrutinize the IPL tender process for digital and TV rights unless the BCCI gives an undertaking to unreservedly comply with its recommendations, forcing the board to defer the opening of the 2018 cycle IPL rights set for Tuesday.
Informing the BCCI of Justice Lodha Committee's stand, amicus curie Gopal Shankaranarayanan wrote: "Before the committee proceeds to issue any directions, it would need to satisfy itself that the BCCI administration is willing to comply with the Supreme Court's October 21 order.
"As you can understand, this would be necessary in view of the BCCI's stand concerning the earlier order of July 18 (when the court had accepted all reform recommendations of the committee and ordered its implementation).
"In this regard, the committee requires a letter of compliance from president BCCI duly undertaking on behalf of BCCI to unreservedly comply with the Supreme Court's October 21 order."
Only last week the SC had limited BCCI’s financial freedom until the board and its state associations filed an undertaking to fully comply with the Lodha Committees’s recommendations.
“At the time of going to press, BCCI has not received any further directions from the committee, which is now the custodian of the entire (bidding) process and has been tasked with the duty to ensure that the tender process is undertaken in a professional and transparent manner with least inconvenience to all stakeholders involved," BCCI said in a media release.
"Once the BCCI receives a response from the committee, it shall bring the same to the notice of all stakeholders as the BCCI is currently not in a position to take any decision in the matter other than what the committee recommends."