Supreme Court accepts majority of Lodha panel recommendations

The Supreme Court of India has accepted majority of the long list of recommendations put forth by a court-appointed three-member panel, led by retired Chief Justice RM Lodha. Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has been handed a deadline of six months to implement the accepted recommendations. The apex court, on Monday (July 18), gave its nod to the proposal of not having a minister in the administration of the BCCI and having an age cap of 70 for the board members.


BCCI had filed an affidavit earlier in March to oppose recommendations on advertisements during matches, age cap on the officials, the recommendation that there has to be a three-year cooling off period after an official has completed his tenure and most importantly the recommendation about 'one state, one vote'. The court, however, has accepted every recommendation except the one regarding advertisements during live telecast of matches. The Lodha proposal pushed for advertisements between overs to be banned, a move that, the BCCI argued, would have a severe impact on its financial structure and affect the interests of its stakeholders, chiefly the broadcasters.
As for 'one state, one vote' recommendation, the associations like Railways and Services stand to lose out, while states like Maharashtra and Gujarat, who have multiple associations will have voting rights on rotation basis. BCCI had previously argued vehemently against this proposal. "This would mean those who have historically and till present time furthered cricketing activity in the region like Baroda Cricket Association would lose their permanent membership in the cricket board while those who have no cricketing activity would get a huge say in the board.This is a sure way to bring in huge politics in the affairs of BCCI as those contesting elections would attempt to garner their support," Kapil Sibal had said during a hearing.
In a bid to bring about 'sportsmen for sports' policy, the Supreme Court accepted Lodha panel's recommendation of the formation of a players association, which will include all the current international players as well as those plying their trade in first class competitions and former cricketers.
"(It is) Great day for Indian cricket and Indian sport, (I) think cricket fans should rejoice the verdict of Supreme Court. (I am) sure that with the decision of Supreme Court out, BCCI will have the (recommendations) implemented at the earliest," an elated Lodha told the media. Mukul Mudgal, another retired judge and one who was previously appointed by the Supreme Court to probe the spot-fixing scandal in Indian Premier League 2013, echoed Lodha's optimism, saying: "I really think this will lead (to) reforms in other sports as well."
During the course of prolonged sessions, the apex court had acknowledged BCCI's forward steps towards ensuring greater transparency, when they appointed AP Shah and Rahul Johri as the Ombudsman and the CEO of the board respectively. They, however, slammed BCCI for not having a member of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) in the governing council of the board, another recommendation that will now have to be accepted by BCCI. BCCI had previously argued that such a move would go against the guidelines of the International Cricket Council (ICC).
The court has also left it up to the parliament to decide if the BCCI needs to be brought under the Right to Information (RTI) Act. Earlier in February, justices R V Raveendran and Ashok Bhan, two members of the Lodha panel, had stated:"Having regard to the emphasis laid by the Supreme Court that BCCI discharges public functions and also the Court's reference to indirect approval of Central and state governments in activities which has created a monopoly in the hands of the BCCI over cricket, the Committee feels that the people of the country have a right to know the details about the BCCI's functions and activities."