BCCI vs Lodha panel: SC freezes disbursements to state bodies until recommendations are adopted

New Delhi: Supreme Court on Friday froze all financial transactions between the BCCI and state cricket associations by directing the apex cricket body not to disburse any funds, even for the match purposes, to them till they resolved to abide by the Justice RM Lodha panel recommendations on reforms.

The apex court also directed BCCI president Anurag Thakur and secretary Ajay Shirke to give undertaking on affidavit, before the Lodha panel and in apex court by 3 December, stating how much time they would need to implement reforms.

A bench headed by Chief Justice TS Thakur and comprising Justices DY Chandrachud and L Nageswara Rao asked Lodha panel to appoint independent auditors to scrutinise all BCCI accounts.

The judgment, which was pronounced by Justice D Y Chandrachud, also directed the Lodha panel to ask the auditors to scrutinise the high-value contracts given by BCCI.

It directed the Lodha panel to fix a ceiling of high-value contracts of BCCI to be scruutinised by the auditors.

The bench also asked the panel secretary to send a copy of the apex court order to the ICC chairman Shashank Manohar.