There's no second innings...accept Lodha report, Supreme Court tells BCCI

Thursday was the day when the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) padded up to face Supreme Court special bench – constituting of Chief Justice of India TS Thakur and Justice FMI Kalifulla – like the way Team India heads to England or Australia without prior practise of swing and pace bowling!

Having been trapped plumb right in front in its first knock by Justice Mukul Mudgal – spot-fixing during N Srinivasan's tenure – BCCI was hoping that its battery of legal minds would be able to bail it out in its second knock in the apex court, over the implementation of Justice RM Lodha Committee report.

Before the Team BCCI could actually take a stance, a single bouncer by the Chief Justice put an abrupt end to its gameplan. Terming the Justice Lodha Committee report on overhaul of BCCI as "straight, rational and understandable", the bench left the Board with no option but to retire hurt till March 3, the next date for hearing.

The message was clear. "There is no second innings," Thakur told BCCI.

In fact, when senior advocate Shekhar Naphade tried to argue that BCCI needs time to deliberate on the suggestions which it has sought from its 30-member affiliated units, over Justice Lodha recommendations, the special bench politely but clearly asked him to convey the court's sentiments to the board's members.

"These recommendations deserve respect. They have come from the most illuminated and respected members of the legal community. They have done extensive deliberations with all stakeholders. Fall in line and save the trouble," CJI Thakur spoke his mind.

"The court will give you simple solutions," Thakur said. "We can ask the very same committee to tell you 'where to register' and 'where to re-register'. We will say that since BCCI has difficulties and impediments in respecting and implementing the recommendations, let the Lodha Committee continue and now help the Board to push through with the reforms. Every change comes with some pain... What do you say?" CJI asked the BCCI counsel.

The Special Bench was taken through the Lodha report by senior advocate Indu Malhotra, representing Cricket Association of Bihar (CAB). She gave the Bench an eagle's eye view of the report, including structural, electoral and legal changes recommended by the Supreme Court-appointed panel.

The apex court gave emphasis to suggestions like "one state, one vote; three-year cooling off period after every tenure, restricted tenures for office-bearers, no more proxy voting and pruning of number of vice-presidents from five to one".

CJI also took cognisance of the fact that "there are several cricket associations (like DDCA) still being run on proxy voting".

It was when BCCI counsel tried to reason out that "reducing the number of vice presidents from five to just one would create representation issue from all five zones", the apex court struck his arguments down saying: "Now there are no zones as per Justice Lodha recommendations, so why do you need five vice-presidents?"

The apex court also accepted the exoneration of former IPL COO Sundar Raman in the IPL betting controversy after no objection to this regard was filed by the petitioner.

Wear just one hat

One important recommendation that Justice Lodha committee has made will put an end to administrators wearing multiple caps. "One person cannot be part of two different sports associations," it says. This means BCCI secretary Anurag Thakur cannot be heading Himachal Pradesh Olympic Association and state cricket association at one time. There are several other officials also who are part of other sports associations in their states. Former BCCI and ICC top boss N Srinivasan is also the president of the Tamil Nadu Golf Federation and former president of the All India Chess Federation.