BCCI says it won’t flout Lodha committee recommendations

The agenda for the AGM mentions the election of the secretary, appointment of the Working Committee, Standing Committee and Special Committee for 2016-17, appointment of the ombudsman and the Board’s representative for the ICC and Asian Cricket Council conferences.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) finds itself on a sticky wicket over its decision to hold its Annual General Meeting at the Cricket Centre here on Wednesday.

Current BCCI secretary Ajay Shirke is set to be re-elected unopposed at the BCCI AGM in Mumbai on Wednesday.(AFP)

On one hand are the Lodha Committee’s guidelines which they are expected to adhere to while on the other is the board’s keenness to go about its business.

The Lodha Committee, mandated by the Supreme Court, had on August 31 directed the board to limit its AGM to “routine business concerning the past year (2015-2016), and that any business or matters relating to the next year (2016-2017) be dealt with only after the adoption of the MoA and Rules as per the recommendations of the Committee in accordance with the same.”

Assurance

The BCCI, in its response to the Lodha Committee, has assured the three-member panel of retired Supreme Court judges that the Board will not do anything which “does not have the sanction of law”.

“The Board is not likely to transact any other business in its AGM which is unauthorised except which it is legally bound to do so,” a BCCI source said.

AGM AGENDA AND ISSUES

The battle lines are drawn as the BCCI gets set for its 87th Annual General Meeting (AGM) on Wednesday. The board has put on agenda that are contrary to the Lodha Committee recommendations that the Supreme Court has ordered it to implement. A look at the AGM agenda and how it is in conflict with the Lodha Committee:

SELECTORS SELECTION

• The Lodha Committee has recommended bringing down the number of selectors to three but the BCCI plans to go ahead and appoint five members to the senior selection committee. It will also pick selectors for junior and womenfs teams.
  
  
• The BCCI issued an advertisement for the selectorsf posts and has also reportedly conducted interviews of some applicants. A final decision will be taken in the AGM.

ELECTION OF BOARD SECRETARY

The board is planning to go ahead with the election of board secretary despite objections by the Lodha Committee. The committee wants the BCCI to first modify its memorandum of association and constitution as per its recommendations while BCCI has not shown much inclination to do so. The deadline for making amendments is Sept 30.

The AGM will also form various committees for 2016-17 year despite the Lodha Committee informing it that no elections should be held before Decemer 15.

OTHER MATTERS ON AGENDA

• Appointment of members for Working Committee, Finance Committee and Special Committee for 2016-17. (The Lodha Committee has recommended scrapping of Working Committee and setting up a 9-member Apex Committee).
  
  
• Appointment of new ombudsman as the tenure of Justice AP Shah is set to end of Sept 22
  
  
• Appointment of auditors for financial year 2016-17
  
  
• Nominate representative to attend ICC and Asian Cricket Council meetings ¡ Appointment for auditor for FY 2016-17

The agenda for the AGM mentions the election of the secretary, appointment of the Working Committee, Standing Committee and Special Committee for 2016-17, appointment of the ombudsman and the Board’s representative for the ICC and Asian Cricket Council conferences.

Current BCCI secretary Ajay Shirke is set to be re-elected unopposed. The Maharashtra Cricket Association chief was appointed secretary after Anurag Thakur took over as president of the Indian cricket board earlier this year.

It is learnt the BCCI is also keen to appoint the national selectors for the senior, junior and women’s teams at the AGM. The last set of interviews for selectors took place on Tuesday in Mumbai.

Plenty of applicants

Ninety-four people applied for the selectors’ post out of which 70-odd were called for interview.

However, the BCCI is going to take the permission of the house in the AGM before making any appointments. “We will ask the members. If they feel we should go ahead with the appointments then we shall do it,” said a senior board member.

The BCCI has expressed displeasure to the Lodha Committee over media reports quoting comments by sources close to the panel. The BCCI has urged the Lodha panel to investigate the source of the informal media briefings and initiate necessary action.

A source close to the panel was quoted as saying on Sunday that the BCCI should stick to the Lodha panel’s instructions.

“We have already instructed them as recorded in the minutes of August 28 that the meeting be restricted to formal events of the past and nothing regarding the future. If they transgress that, then it will be a different matter,” the source said.