SC sheds a ray of hope for disqualified cricket administrators

The Supreme Court's modified order made it clear that the nine-year tenure of an office-bearer in the State association or in the BCCI shall not be considered cumulatively.

The Supreme Court shed a ray of hope for some disqualified administrators by modifying its January 3, 2017 order that debarred a person who enjoyed a cumulative tenure of nine years in any State cricket association or BCCI from holding any position in the apex cricket body.

The apex court, headed by the then Chief Justice T. S. Thakur, on January 3, had said that a person was disqualified from holding any post if he "has been an office-bearer of BCCI or a State Association for a cumulative period of nine years".

Modifying the order, the new Bench led by Justice Dipak Misra said the nine-year tenure of an office-bearer in a State association or in the BCCI would not be considered cumulatively, but separately. This means that a person who has spent four years in a State association and then was elected to the BCCI for another five years, would not be disqualified from holding any cricket administrator post in the future.

In short, for a person to be actually debarred, he should have spent nine years in any State cricket association and another nine years in the BCCI. That means a total of 18 years in office.

The court made the modification, saying the January 3 order had given rise to “ambiguity”.