CoA asks SC to issue directions on BCCI AGM

The Committee of Administrators explained to the apex court that “though the new BCCI constitution has not been formally adopted, elections can be conducted in terms of the recommendations of the Justice Lodha Committee, as accepted by the SC".

The CoA has explained to the Supreme Court that “though the new BCCI Constitution has not been formally adopteed, elections can be conducted in terms of the recommendations of the Justice Lodha Committee, as accepted by the Supreme Court.” (Representational Image)

The Committee of Administrators (CoA) has petitioned the Supreme Court (SC), through its seventh Status Report, to issue directions to convene the 88th Annual General Meeeting (AGM) of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) within a time frame, to appoint an officer and conduct elections as per the court’s order of July 18, 2016, that validated the Justice Lodha Committee recommendations.

The CoA — in its Status Report submitted to the Supreme Court on Thursday (March 8) — said, "pending consideration of the draft constitution filed by the CoA and in addition to the directions sought in the third, fourth, fifth and sixth Status Reports,’" the court may issue appropriate directions.

The CoA has explained to the SC that “though the new BCCI constitution has not been formally adopted, elections can be conducted in terms of the recommendations of the Justice Lodha Committee, as accepted by the SC," because by its order of January 2, 2017, it was able to enforce the disqualification rule on a number of administrators.

READ: Choudhary hits back at CoA on day-night Tests

The CoA has driven a point saying: “These interim directions are necessarily required so that the persons who are consciously guilty of non-compliance of the SC order of July 18, 2016, are disabled from benefiting from their conscious non-compliance, and, in particular, do not get the benefit of an extended tenure because of such non-complinance.’’

The seventh Status Report has brought to the attention of the apex court that the three-year term of the present office-bearers, five vice-presidents, standing committees, sub-committees, according to the BCCI’s existing constitution, has expired on March 1, 2018 and hence they cannot continue to hold their posts. The one-year term of the Indian Premier League (IPL) Governing Council also came to an end in September 2017.

It has pointed out to the apex court that by its order of January 2, 2017, it directed the senior most vice-president to discharge the duties of the BCCI President and the Jt. Secretary to discharge the duties of the Secretary, but the order did not deal with the tenure of the office bearers.

The report also says that the 88th AGM needs to be conducted to adopt the previous AGM minutes, Secretary’s and Treasurer’s reports.