The Supreme Court bench headed by Justice Nageshwar Rao will hear a plea from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for changes in its constitution, including the extension of the tenures of president Sourav Ganguly and secretary Jay Shah today.
The three-judge bench, which includes Justice Hemant Gupta and Justice Ajay Rastogi, is expected to make a judgment that will have a significant impact on the BCCI administration. A 2-judge bench led by Chief Justice of India (CJI) SA Bobde heard a plea from the BCCI in July, but a decision was postponed.
Both Ganguly and Shah, in line with the existing constitution, have completed their 6 year term as office bearers of the BCCI or any state association, but both have been running the BCCI despite their tenures coming to an end in July and May 2020 respectively.
In 2018, the Supreme Court of India approved the new constitution of the BCCI that was drawn up by the CoA (Committee of Administrators) based on the Lodha Committee’s recommendations to restructure the board. The key point in the Lodha committee’s recommendations was that an official has to undergo a mandatory cooling-off period after two consecutive three-year terms at the BCCI or state, or a combination of both.
In defiance of the constitution Ganguly, Shah and Jayesh George have continued in their BCCI posts. Their fate is likely to be decided today.
It is worth noting that the BCCI treasurer Arun Dhumal filed the petition in April this year asking for half a dozen changes in the constitution. Among the amendments sought, the BCCI wanted the three-year cooling off period on the office bearers to be taken out even after completion of 6 years term as BCCI or State official.
John Stephenson
john@cricketinvestor.co.uk
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