BREAKING | No politicians in BCCI, Age cap of 70, RTI applicable: Supreme Court upholds Lodha panel recommendations
The Supreme Court has accepted all but one of the Lodha panel recommendations and the BCCI will have 6 months to implement these changes constitutionally in their organization. The verdict means that the BCCI cannot recruit a minister for administrative roles, and each state will have just one vote.
In a major win for the Lodha panel, led by retired Chief Justice RM Lodha, the Supreme Court has given a go ahead for most of the changes suggested by the committee to the BCCI. Following are the major changes that the BCCI will now have to adapt in the next six months:
1. No member shall be allowed to continue in the board beyond the age of 70.
2. Each state will have just one vote. Members without geographical borders, like the Railways and Services, will become associate members. Maharashtra and Gujarat will be affected by change more than most. Both these states house multiple associations, and a rotational system is likely to be implemented for these states.
3. The BCCI will now come under the RTI and will have to include a Comptroller Auditor General in its rank.
4. The SC has also approved the establishment of a players' association.
5. No politicians, ministers or government servants can hold administrative role in the BCCI. Interestingly, the newly elected president of the BCCI, Anurag Thakur, is a member of the Lok Sabha after being elected as a candidate of the Bharatiya Janata Party in 2008.
The only Lodha panel recommendation that was turned down by the Supreme Court was to ban television advertisement between overs. This has come as a huge respite for the BCCI, who stood to lose millions had the Court upheld this recommendation.
Retired Justice RM Lodha has welcomed the Supreme Court's verdict, stating, "(It is) Great day for Indian cricket and Indian sport, (I) think cricket fans should rejoice the verdict of Supreme Court. (I am) sure that with the decision of Supreme Court out, BCCI will have the (recommendations) implemented at the earliest," reported Cricbuzz.
Mukul Mudgal, who was previously appointed by the Supreme Court to probe the spot-fixing scandal in Indian Premier League 2013, was also elated with the ruling. He said, "I really think this will lead (to) reforms in other sports as well," reported Cricbuzz.
