SC asks State associations to fall in line

The Supreme Court on Monday said State cricket associations would have no choice but comply with the Supreme Court-appointed Justice R.M. Lodha Committee recommendations to reform Indian cricket once the apex court gives the final word.

“It (Justice Lodha panel suggestions) will no longer remain just recommendations if we say it has to be implemented,” Chief Justice of India T.S. Thakur told the State associations which form the BCCI.

The court said that some of the suggestions of the Justice Lodha panel report had already been incorporated by the BCCI, and the court was presently weighing those the BCCI was objecting to.

“Once BCCI is reformed it will go down the line and all cricket associations will have to reform itself if they want to associate with it.

“The committee constituted in wake of match-fixing and spot-fixing allegations was a serious exercise and not futile exercise,” Chief Justice Thakur observed.

The observations were directed at various cricket associations and sports bodies who set to either lose their memberships in full or would be reduced from their status as full members to associate members with no voting rights on the Board in case the ‘one State, one member, one vote’ recommendation of the Justice Lodha panel gets the apex court’s green signal.

Structural changes

The court referred to the Lodha report to say that whatever structural changes done within the cricket administration mechanism so far was only cosmetic and more needs to be implemented.

In a hearing on February 4, 2016, Chief Justice Thakur had similarly advised the BCCI and its State cricket association members to “fall in line” with the recommendations.

“Your members have been wielding power for long... The match is over. There will be no second innings here,” Chief Justice Thakur had made the Supreme Court’s resolve clear to the top cricket body.

“These recommendations deserve respect. They have come from the most respected members of the legal community.

“They have done extensive deliberations with all stakeholders,” Chief Justice T.S. Thakur had said.