16 March 2024 last updated at 11:20 GMT
 
BCCI units continue to oppose Lodha committee recommendations
Tuesday 08 May 2018

The court may or may not approve, but several BCCI members have maintained their stand against key Lodha recommendations in their suggestions on the new constitution of the board.


Other than appealing for scrapping of the one-state-one-vote proposal, they are also against clauses like age cap of 70 and cooling-off period for administrators. The last date for tabling suggestions was Monday. Gopal Subramaniam, the amicus curiae, will hand these over to the special bench on May 11. With the Supreme Court set to close for summer vacation on May 19, a verdict before that will expedite the process of holding the BCCI annual general meeting and electing office-bearers, which has not happened since 2015.

 

The BCCI units are more or less unanimous that the clause empowering only one unit from the geographical boundary of a state to vote should be done away with. Apart from the units from Maharashtra and Gujarat, who will be affected if this becomes the rule, associations from other zones have also expressed reservations against this. This even includes units which have amended their constitution as per Lodha recommendations.

 

They are hopeful that the court will consider this point, along with the clause on a three-member selection committee instead of five. The members are also risking being rebuked by the court by suggesting that the age cap and cooling- off break of three years between each term for office-bearers be done away with. Units like Tamil Nadu and Saurashtra had been vocal about it in the past. Office-bearers of several associations confirmed raising this point again, even though Justice RM Lodha had himself referred to these as the “heart and lungs” of their report.

 

However, one can sense a “how worse can it get”feeling at play here. “It’s about being practical. In no other sector, top executives take a cooling-off break. If this happens, then every association will end up with a new management every three years. They will be low on experience and this system will disrupt continuity. We know the court has rejected similar pleas in the past, but since it has asked for suggestions afresh, what’s wrong with reiterating this?

 

At worst, it will be rejected again. We are happy that our views will be heard” the secretary of a state unit told Express. If this is hoping against hope, there is more of it in the request to reconsider the order that makes it compulsory for administrators to resign after turning 70. This is coming mostly from states affected by this. Too optimistic or still defiant? Let the court decide.

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