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Cricket PlayersBCCI Committee of Administrators open to review one state, one vote
The Vinod Rai-led Committee of Administrators, in its response to Supreme Court’s direction for feedback on key issues in the Lodha report however firmly backs the tenure and age cap.
The Indian cricket Board’s Committee of Administrators has firmly backed the tenure cap, age cap and cooling off period as recommended in the Justice RM Lodha report on administrative reform.
However, the Supreme Court panel headed by Vinod Rai has recommended that the Apex court may reconsider the one-state, one-vote recommendation. The need for the selection committee to revert to five members -- it was crunched to three as per Lodha panel -- is also identified for consideration.
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In its last hearing on the implementation of the Lodha report, the court had sought suggestions from officials of BCCI and its state units to see if changes need to be made to the draft constitution submitted by the CoA.
In response to inputs from the state units and office-bearers, past and present, CoA has made comments against each suggestion.
In what will come as huge relief to the three associations in Maharashtra (Mumbai, Vidarbha and Maharashtra) and Gujarat (Baroda, Gujarat and Saurashtra), CoA has given a positive feedback on the suggestion that all units should retain full membership.
“The recommendation pertaining to the existing Full Members from Maharashtra and Gujarat (as modified by the judgement dated 18 July 2016) viz. annual rotation of Full Membership between the three associations from said states is one of the issues identified by this Hon’ble Court for consideration,” CoA said in its response published on BCCI website in a tabulated form.
The matter is up for hearing next on May 11.
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The CoA has also recommended that the issue of membership of Services, Indian Railways and Universities be treated separately from those of NCC (National Cricket Club, Kolkata) and CCI (Cricket Club of India, Mumbai). “The recommendation pertaining to the existing Full Members who do not represent any territory (Railways, Services, Universities, CCI and NCC) viz. that the said existing Full Members be relegated to Associate Membership without voting rights is one of the issues identified by this Hon’ble Court for consideration. In doing so, it would be relevant to take into account the fact that Railways and Services field teams in tournament conducted by the BCCI and Universities conducts all-India tournaments at the university level. This is one of the reasons why the cases of NCC and CCI should be considered separately from that of Railways, Services and Universities,” the CoA said.
CoA however is clear that “at least one Full Member from every State should be inducted, including from States that are currently not-represented like Uttarakhand….. This will make BCCI a more inclusive body.”
The CoA has dismissed the state associations’ suggestions for relaxation in tenure (total nine years) and cooling off periods (after three years). It has also made it clear that the cooling off period will be total and will mean the person cannot take up any post, whether at state units, BCCI or ICC.
“The spirit of the Hon’ble Justice Lodha Committee recommendations would require that the concept of cooling off period apply across BCCI and State Associations. In fact, even a person who has been an office-bearer of a State Association for 3 years cannot be an office-bearer of the BCCI for the next 3 years. The clarification issued by this Hon’bIe Court vide order dated 24 March 2017 relates only to the 9-year disqualification and not to the concept of cooling off period. The spirit of the recommendations would require that once an individual has been an office-bearer for 3 years, such office-bearer should not be a member of the Governing Council or any Committee during the cooling off period.”
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CoA suggestions on player involvement:
# The COA requests to consider a procedure whereby the General Body does not directly appoint the Selection Committees but instead appoints a professional committee comprising reputed former cricketers (like the erstwhile Cricket Advisory Committee which had comprised Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman). Such professional committee then will appoint the selection committee for a term of 2 years.
# The Hon’ble Justice Lodha Committee has recommended the inclusion of players’ representatives (in administration) because the players form the very core of the game and their involvement through these representatives is most deserving and long awaited.
