Founded 65 years ago the National Cricket Club, Kolkata, has approached president Shashank Manohar and secretary Anurag Thakur with a litany of grievances against the NCC representative Kamla Prasad Kajaria and demanded his removal. The NCC is a full member of the BCCI with a voting right.
In a strong, 948-word strong and impassioned appeal the NCC members, addressing the BCCI chief as, "Dear Shashank Manohar ji," have said: "We the members of the NCC would like to draw your attention towards one of the full time member of BCCI that is National Cricket Club. You (have) promised to clean up the mess in BCCI affiliates. The National Cricket Club (NCC) was established more than 65 years ago. It is based at Eden Gardens, Kolkata. Mr. K. P. Kajaria, is illegally occupying the secretary post & director of NCC for last 43 years. We have approached him on various issues but he (has) refused to act." This letter — accessed by The Hindu — was mailed on October 14.
Many members of the NCC have been active in the campaign to remove Kajaria, and have spoken to Manohar and Thakur over phone and to a number of Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) officials. While the immediate response from Manohar — according to a particular member — was that the Board is powerless and that the NCC members have to take legal recourse, Thakur, took their calls once or twice, but has not replied to several reminders.
"The NCC is a member of the BCCI, we have no right to remove them," was Manohar’s reply to a NCC-specific question at the post-AGM press conference in Mumbai.
The NCC members have now decided to bring to the attention of Manohar and Thakur, rules of regulations of the BCCI, that actually empowers them to respond to complaints against administrators and act upon; one of which says that to take disciplinary action against player, match official, administrator, member of Board. Since the changes to the rules and regulations of the BCCI were accepted in principle at the 86th AGM in Mumbai this Monday, the NCC can even approach the BCCI Ombudsman Justice (Retd) A.P. Shah to look into its grievance.
In the course of their fight against the present management of the NCC and also Kajaria (Director/Secretary), the NCC members have also kept the Supreme Court appointed three-member committee in Justices Rajendra Mal Lodha, Ashok Bhan and R.V. Raveendran (to recommend best practises and reforms for the BCCI), abreast of all developments. The Lodha Committee has been furnished with all relevant documents and proofs; and a few members have also spoken to Gopal Sankaranarayanan, Supreme Court advocate and Secretary to Justice Lodha Committee.
The Lodha Committee’s report will be out soon, and some observers are not ruling out a recommendation that NCC’s vote in the BCCI should be suspended; perhaps the committee can go further and even recommend to the BCCI to suspend NCC’s membership itself till disputes are settled there.
Avishek Dalmiya (son of the late Jagmohan Dalmiya) and Jt. Secretary of the Cricket Association of Bengal, represented the NCC at the BCCI AGM for the first time; he was also made Chairman of the New Area Development Committee. Bishen Singh Bedi in his blog 'tossingitup.com' asks "And is rookie Avishek Dalmiya the best person to take cricket to new areas? I wonder if my old friend, Jagmohan Dalmiya would have approved."
NCC’s grievances to the BCCI
AGM — AGM notices are not received by members; AGM are held on papers but NOT in reality. Articles of NCC Sub-Section 76-79 make it binding on Secretary to send notices by registered post. Mr. Kajaria claims notices are duly sent. But then (1) How come hundreds of members don’t receive the notice? (2) Why the receipt copies of the registered post are not shown to members? (3) If all the notices are returned back, then why is the copy of the returned post not shared with members?
Election For Working Committee: Elections shave not been held for decades. As per last year RoC filing there were 16 WC members. Every one of the incumbent 16 members are close friends of Mr. K P Kajaria. Since last 30 years, not a single new member was elected in the Working committee. As of today, out of 16 WC members, 4 have passed away, 2 are Supersenior Citizen (above 80) ,1 resigned, 2 are terminally ill, 2 are octogenarian and restricted to their beds & 2 not interested in NCC anymore. If this is how the club functions, where is the element of a democratically elected body?
Membership List & ID Card: Since 1981 there has been no updation of membership list & the membership card. Since last 3 years Mr.K.P Kajaria claims to have advanced to a certain agency to update the list & cards which was initially supposed to take 1 month. This 1 month never ends. As per Articles of NCC sub-section 72, a register with name of members & updated Address must be maintained at Club office & made available to members. Mr Kajaria, bluntly refused to show the membership register to anyone in his lifetime. The most fundamental rights of members are being grossly violated by Mr. Kajaria.
Active Dead Members: NCC is the only Club in the world where dead members have been given the rights to collect the tickets by showing the archaic 1981 issued membership card. In the notice for Collection of Tickets in T20 match on 8th Oct 2015 , Photo Id card was made mandatory but is never implemented in practice.
Mismanagement In Distribution Of Tickets: As per arrangement with CAB, NCC gets about 2100 tickets for every International match at Eden. Approx 600 tickets are collected by members including those who have been long dead. Balance 1500 tickets are left with the club.If so many tickets are left with club then how in the India- Pak match on 3rd Jan 2013, all the seats of J Block were fully occupied? Secretary refused to show the balance tickets of India- Pakistan match.
False Filing At Registrar Of Companies (Roc) : NCC is a company made under Section 25 by order of High Court in 1971. As per the list displayed for collection of ticket for last T20 match, there are 2200 Life members and 800 Founder Members. In Annual Return filed at ROC/ Kolkata for 2013-14 total members in NCC is shown As 17 (16 as working committee member & 1 other member) Mr. Sabyasachi Sengupta the CA who filed with ROC confirmed that he has checked the membership list before filing. This means 2983 NCC members are dead. I suppose that includes all of us. Complain filed with the ROC, Kolkata but action is yet to be taken.
NCC Without President: As per articles of NCC, in case of vacancy the WC must elect the president, but when the Working Committee itself is not elected by Members then how can they elect a President. All the decisions taken by such shall be ultra vires & unacceptable to members.
Degradation From L Block To J Block: Since many decades NCC members were given tickets for L block at Eden Gardens. But now we have been degraded to J block ticket. Mr Kajaria did not bother to consider the opinion of any member before accepting such change.In fact the NCC office in L block was demolished and changed to J block. Mr Kajaria has taken away all the files and papers of NCC to his private office.
BCCI Disciplinary & Marketing Committee: How can Mr K.P. Kajaria represent NCC in BCCI Disciplinary Committee? How can one who has flouted all the by-laws of NCC can be part of a grand body such as BCCI Disciplinary & Marketing Committee. People at BCCI often talk about cleaning the board. Why don’t they start by asking Mr. K.P. Kajaria to conduct the AGM & Election under the BCCI observer? (After the AGM in Mumbai on Monday, Mr. Kajaria has ceased to be a member of the Disciplinary Committee)
We The Members, Demand: Mr K.P Kajaria must step down from all posts in NCC including the Directorship. He must stop representing NCC at BCCI meetings, immediately. AGM should be called urgently to select new Working Committee & President. BCCI must take action against Mr Kajaria & remove him from Disciplinary & Marketing Committee of BCCI, since he is not elected by NCC members. We all want to see our Golden Club NCC to regain its lost glory.
