Reports | BCCI seek SC approval to allow extension of Sourav Ganguly and Jay Shah’s terms
New changes to constiutiion could see Ganguly be at the helm until 2022
|The Board of Control for Cricket in India are said to have moved to the Supreme Court of India, seeking changes in the constitution that could potentially see both Ganguly and Jay Shah avert their cooling-off periods. The application for the same is said to have been filed by treasurer Arun Dhumal.
In what could potentially be the biggest news to emerge out of Indian cricket, the duo of Sourav Ganguly, the President of the BCCI, and Jay Shah, the Secretary of the BCCI, could be looking at potentially completing a three-year term in the board, with the BCCI now having reportedly moved to the Supreme Court of India to allow key constitutional changes that could see the aforementioned scenario coming to fruition.
The new changes to the constitution could see both Ganguly and Shah averting their mandatory three-year cooling-off period, which was prescribed by the Justice Lodha panel and approved by the SC, and instead complete a full three-year term, which would see the duo hold their respective positions in the board until 2022.
The changes suggested to the constitution are said to have been approved by the AGM on December 1, 2019, and is said to be awaiting the approval of the Supreme Court and the application for the same is said to have been filed by Arun Dhumal, the Treasurer of the board.
While the existing clause in the constitution states that a three-year cooling off period away from management is mandatory for anyone who has served two terms in state cricket associations or BCCI, the new constitution changes are said to erase the stints with the state cricket associations, meaning a cooling-off period would only be applicable to someone who has served two consecutive terms at the BCCI. Should the changes be approved, it would effectively mean that both Ganguly and Shah can complete their full three-year terms with the BCCI and dodge the cooling-off period, given the duo are currently only serving their first term at the board.
"The draft (constitution) was prepared by persons who did not have ground-level experience of functioning of this three-tier structure in which the transition of cricket administrators is stage-wise, which is in the larger interest of the game of cricket,” a BCCI source told TOI.
“Any provision which has a direct or an indirect effect of restricting persons with rich and varied experience, whereby they have acquired and strengthened organising capacity, finance generating capacity and administrative skills will be to the detriment of the game of cricket.”
