The Supreme Court-appointed Lodha Committee has mooted radical reforms to the way the Board of Control of Cricket in India (BCCI) functions. According to the recommendations, the BCCI could be in for a radical overhaul. The panel's report covers a wide arc from tenures of officials to ticket distribution. It seeks to impose strict eligibility criteria, limit association votes to one per state, prevent concurrent holding of posts and keep out ministers and government servants.
It has also made a strong appeal to lawmakers to legalize cricket betting for all except stakeholders like players, coaches etc, with certain safeguards. The report also seeks to decentralize and professionalise the board's functioning give players a voice through a new players' association provide “limited autonomy” to the Indian Premier League (IPL) and do away with redundant voting patterns.
Retired CJI Lodha, who stopped short of renaming he BCCI, said the “biggest challenge” for the three member panel while seeking to cure Indian cricket's ills was to ensure the “good bacteria was not lost” while providing “the right dose.” If followed in toto, the proposals may set off an earthquake within the BCCI's corridors which will leave big guns scrambling for cover and rule out many from future positions as administrators. It will also leave many established state associations and members as mere appendages without voting rights.
As it stands, these recommendations will be taken up by an SC bench later this month. While the BCCI naturally has strong objections to the proposed changes and will be given an opportunity to respond, the board may have no choice but to implement the changes in part or full if the court passes orders. “If they don't follow these proposals it will be shoved down their throats,” legal sources said.
The only one left smiling was former IPL COO Sundar Raman, who was spared punitive action after his role as a willing accessory in the IPL spot-fixing scandal could not be satisfactorily ascertained.
Wherever possible, the report also recommends putting external watchdogs in place, from retired judges to former election commissioners. An important recommendation is the appointment of three independent officials, an ombudsman to preside over and formulate dispute resolution mechanisms, an ethics officer to constitute conflict-of-interest parameters and an electoral officer to oversee voting patterns and norms. In what is likely to give the Delhi cricket association bosses the shivers, proxy voting too has been ruled out.
