Indian cricket board president tells apex court that associations cannot implement reforms just as yet; denies asking ICC! u00c2u0088for any communication
Anurag Thakur during a BCCI meeting last year. Pic/Atul Kamble
Anurag Thakur during a BCCI meeting last year. Pic/Atul Kamble
New Delhi: Drawing continuous flak from the Supreme Court for not implementing the Lodha Committee recommendations, BCCI President Anurag Thakur yesterday said the state units are currently confused about some of the suggestions and need more clarity before complying.
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The Supreme Court yesterday reserved its order on directions to be passed to BCCI for implementation of Lodha panel's recommendations. "You need 3/4th majority to adopt these recommendations. We have done our duty to go back to the state associations and they have to take a call on that. If you don't have 3/4th majority, you cannot adopt these recommendations," Thakur said.
'Need more clarity'
"Right now, there is more confusion in the state associations on how to implement the recommendations, I think we need more clarity," he added. The BCCI has held on to its stand about 'practical difficulties in implementing some of the recommendations' which include 'one state, one vote', 'age cap of 70 years', 'three years cooling off period', 'one person, one post'.
According to sources in the state associations, the units want to bide time as BCCI anxiously awaits the revised Sports Bill which could put a spanner on far-reaching recommendations of the Supreme Court appointed panel. The BCCI is likely to ask for at least three months time as it is impossible to expect that the Sports Bill could be tabled in the Winter Session of Parliament.
At best, one can expect that the Sports Bill will be placed before the House only during the Budget Session next year. If the recommendations are accepted in their current form, a lot of officials will have to make their way out from the most glamorous sports body in the country. For BCCI, it's now a battle of attrition as they have to show 'enough stamina' to stretch this off the field battle to a conclusion of their liking.
'Received no help from ICC'
Meanwhile, Thakur denied having sought from the ICC any letter to say that the presence of Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) nominee on the cricket board as recommended by the Justice Lodha Committee amounted to government interference in its affairs.
While denying that he had sought any such letter from the International Cricket Council (ICC), Thakur, however, told the Supreme Court bench of Chief Justice TS Thakur, Justice AM Khanwilkar and Justice DY Chandrachud that he had sought only a clarification from his predecessor and incumbent ICC chairman Shashank Manohar on the issue.
While the BCCI president said he had not solicited any letter from the ICC but only a "clarification" on the impact of the presence of CAG nominee, the Board's general manager (administration) Ratnakar Shetty in his affidavit said that no such request was made to the ICC.
Court reserves BCCI order
Both Thakur and Shetty made their stand clear in their affidavits in pursuance to the court's direction of October 7. The court was hearing an application by the Justice RM Lodha Committee seeking the appointment of a committee to administer and oversee the transition to organisational reforms in the BCCI. The Lodha Committee has said that the BCCI was in willful disobedience of the court's directions. Upon the conclusion of hearing, the court reserved its order.
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