The Justice RM Lodha panel has given BCCI time till October 15 to implement the constitutional reforms recommended in its report. BCCI has been directed to submit a first compliance report to Lodha Committee on implementations by August 25.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) had decided to follow former top court judge Markandey Katju’s advice to ignore summons by the Lodha panel to appear before it on Tuesday. The board’s stand could amount to contempt of court.
BCCI secretary Ajay Shirke wrote to the panel on Sunday night, asking for the meeting to be deferred. However, the request was turned down.
The Lodha Panel was set up in January 2015 by the Supreme Court to determine appropriate punishments in those accused in the IPL betting and spot-fixing scandal.
The three-member committee, comprised of retired Chief Justice of India, RM Lodha, and retired Supreme Court judges, Ashok Bhan and R Raveendran.
SC had also tasked the panel with suggesting amendments to the process followed by the BCCI with a view to prevent sporting frauds and conflict of interests, and also streamline the board’s functioning.
In its report, the panel recommends age and tenure restrictions for top BCCI officials, besides suggesting ways to clean up the country’s national past-time mired in betting and match-fixing scandals.
The Lodha panel last year gave two-year suspensions on IPL teams Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals after Chennai team principal Gurunath Meiyappan and Rajasthan co-owner Raj Kundra were found to be in contact with illegal gamblers during the 2013 IPL season.
Meiyappan, son-in-law of former International Cricket Council chairman Narainaswamy Srinivasan, and Kundra were banned for life from cricket administration.