Following the decision of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to postpone the annual general meeting (AGM), which is generally held towards the end of September, official sources in the BCCI and retired Supreme Court judge A. K. Patnaik have called it nothing more than a sham.
The BCCI had cited the unsigned annual accounts as one of the reasons for delaying the AGM. According to the BCCI constitution, the Board president signs the balance sheet ahead of the AGM. However, with the Supreme Court asking N Srinivasan to stay away unit the IPL-6 spot-fixing scandal probe is completed, the BCCI had said that it could hold the AGM as scheduled. This decision has surprised and shocked quite a few senior BCCI officals.
According to an official, "All this is nothing but a charade. The BCCI is registered under the Tamil Nadu Societies Registration Act. According to its clauses, under exceptional circumstances, not only the secretary or treasurer, but even a vice-president can sign the final accounts and ensure the AGM is held on time. The pro-Srinivasan camp is using every option available to ensure that he gets more time and in all likelihood a third term as BCCI president."
"Also, the Supreme Court, the highest authority, had appointed Yadav to fulfill duties of the president. So there is no reason he can't sign the accounts. He has all the powers that the president is vested with and nobody can challenge him," he said.
BCCI's partial decision has also puzzled Justice Patnaik. "Why can't the AGM be held on time in the absence of Srinivasan? Interim president Shivlal Yadav can sign the account papers and can call for the AGM now. This is if they want," he said.
Secretary of the unrecognised Cricket Association of Bihar, Aditya Verma has also vowed to file a case to request the Supreme Court to interfere so that the AGM is not unnecessarily delayed.
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