BCCI adopts all but five Lodha Panel recommendations

What’s the story?

After stalling the Lodha Panel recommendations for well over a year, the Board Of Control for Cricket in India finally decided to partially adopt the recommendations.

The BCCI had earlier got a major boost by the Supreme Court when the Apex Court agreed on few very recommendations being very 'difficult' to impose.

These recommendations included (not implemented):

: Age cap (70 years),

: Cooling off (3 years)

: Tenure (9 years each at state and BCCI)

The Details

Amitabh Choudhary, the acting secretary informed that the Indian board have unanimously adopted all but five reforms as per Supreme Court verdict on July 18, 2016.

These five reforms cover:

1. Matters pertaining to membership, one state one vote, retention of full members, Railways, Services etc.

2. Definition of powers of appointed executives

3. Size and constitution of apex council

4. Restriction and disqualification of office bearers and ministers and government officials, age, tenure and cooling off period

5. Size of national selection committee

“If we want Railways or Services to retain full membership [voting] rights, then they can only be represented by either a government employee or a minister,” Choudhary explained the stance.

Apart from this, Choudhary also said that they are still trying to sort out the conflict of issue, which is one contentious issue which has already hit the BCCI hard on many occasions.

Replying on the issue of Ombudsman, Choudhary said that a panel had been formed to look into the issue.

In case you didn’t know...

Earlier the Committee of Administrators had come down hard on both N Srinivasan and Niranjan Shah for hijacking the SGM on several occasions.

Vinod Rai, the chairman of the CoA also said that despite being disqualified by the Apex Court, both Srinivasan and Shah continued taking part in the BCCI's SGM.

Responding the aforementioned plea, the Apex Court went on to disqualify both the Srinivasan and Shah from today's SGM.

What's next?

After the BCCI's decision to adopt few of the Lodha Committee's recommendations, it would now be interesting to see the approach of the CoA when it approaches the Supreme Court.

Also, how the different state units go on to adopt and then adapt to the different recommendations ratified by the BCCI.

Author's Take

There is a little doubt that this is finally a welcome step taken by the BCCI and it could go a long way in making the BCCI more transparent.

Also, it would allow the BCCI to negotiate with the Supreme Court with some gravity as it can now present its reservations with some aplomb.