Chief Justice T.S. Thakur on Thursday asked whom the Lodha Committee meant by the “office-bearers” in its status report submitted on September 28. A Bench led by the CJI was hearing the Justice Lodha Committee’s plea to replace the current top office-bearers of the cricket body. Senior advocate and amicus curiae Gopal Subramanium submitted that they would mean the BCCI president, vice-president, honorary secretary, treasurer and joint secretary.
Then the Bench asked about BCCI secretary Ajay Shirke. “Apart from being secretary of the BCCI, what does he do for a living?” Chief Justice Thakur asked. The Bench was told that Mr. Shirke was an industrialist. “So is there any person here among the five who is qualified to hold the position he is holding?” the Chief Justice asked.
“Anurag Thakur is a politician and has played a match... positions are not held by these people because they are qualified, but through elections,” Mr. Subramanium submitted.
The Lodha panel has not banned politicians from holding administrative posts in the BCCI, but had recommended that Ministers and bureaucrats should not be allowed.
