CoA curbs powers of BCCI office bearers

The CoA has officially decided to take away functioning powers of the three principal office bearers of the BCCI — CK Khanna, Amitabh Choudhary and Anirudh Chaudhary.

Except for those communications, office bearers -- Amitabh Choudhary, CK Khanna and Anirudh Chaudhary-- have been separately directed to address only to the CoA.

After informing the Supreme Court in its seventh Status Report, that the current elected office bearers of the BCCI have completed their three-year term on March 1, 2018, the CoA with Vinod Rai as its head, tightened the noose on the office bearers in a manner that would restrict travel outside their home city to discharge official work of the BCCI.

In a fresh directive issued on Thursday, in addition to the first set of directives issued on April 6, 2017, the CoA has stated that the office bearers - acting President C.K. Khanna, acting Secretary Amitabh Choudhary and Treasurer Anirudh Chaudhry— and their executive assistants shall not travel on BCCI’s behalf without the prior permission of the CoA. 

And in the event of the office bearers and assistants seeking permission, they have to specifically put down the travel plan and most importantly state the reason for their travel to a particular place.

Clearly the CoA believes that the elected office bearers have no business to continue in office and use the BCCI's resources. But an official kept in the loop of the CoA decision said: "The Supreme Court could question the CoA's inaction. The Court order of January 2, 2017 is emphatic. The Court has given the CoA the mandate to supervise the functioning of the BCCI through the CEO. And that it can issue appropriate directions to administer the day-to-day affairs through the CEO."

READ: CoA may implement player contracts through alternate signatories

The fresh directives can be assumed to be prompted by Choudhary’s decision not to sign the appointment letter of a person selected as General Manager, Marketing. The CoA is also upset at Choudhary’s repeated statement to the media that he, the other office bearers of the BCCI have nothing to do with the player contract and package announced by the CoA and that he will not sign the relevant documents.

All BCCI contracts above Rs. 25 lakh and appointment letters have to be signed by its Secretary. The  CoA has made a provision that it may ask the CEO to sign the contract and appointment letters in the event of the Secretary refusing to do so in a reasonable period of time not exceeding five working days once the CoA takes a call on contracts and appointments.

Similarly the CoA has reiterated a directive that the BCCI CFO Santosh Rangnekar and GM, Operations, Saba Karim will be the alternate signatories to bank accounts in the the event of the acting Secretary and Treasurer not processing payments within three working days.

The CoA has also said that the BCCI will not pay for the office bearers’ legal expenses anymore in litigations related to the Cricket Association of Bihar and BCCI case that led to the justice Lodha Committee’s reforms in Cricket report. In addition it has also said that the CEO will deal with legal matters on behalf of the BCCI.

Among other directives the CoA has said that all communications from the office bearers to employees of the BCCI, consultants shall be copied to the CEO and the CoA, any power accorded by the existing BCCI constitution shall be implemented by the office bearers only with prior permission of the CoA.

Recently the acting president Khanna, citing the rules and regulations appointed Karnataka SCA’s Vinay Mruthyunjaya in the finance committee, following the resignation of TNCA’s Kasi Viswanathan.

The CoA has also made it clear that all meetings of the BCCI — General Body, Committee and Sub Committee meeting and all matters related to such meetings can happen only with the consent of the CoA and that the CoA has the right to attend such meetings.

With its hands tied now, the office bearers who themselves are at logger heads with each other would find it tough to bring any semblance of administration. After the tough posture taken by the CoA that has made a pointed reference to the powers it derives from the Supreme Court order of January 2, 2017,  especially in supervising the administration of the BCCI, it would be interesting to see the immediate response from the three office bearers.

For a start, Choudhary has to take the CoA’s permission to travel to Sri Lanka before the Nidahas Trophy final. The three office bearers would have to take the CoA nod, post facto, to attend the IPL GC meeting here on Friday.