In a 60-page affidavit, the BCCI has blamed the Supreme Court-appointed committee led by former CJI R.M. Lodha for keeping it in the dark.
>The affidavit, filed by BCCI Secretary Anurag Thakur , said the Lodha Committee neither informed nor sought the views of past or present BCCI office-bearers about its proposed recommendations despite interactions the panel had had with them.
The Board said the Lodha Committee never gave them an opportunity to put forward their views on the recommendations before they became part of the final report submitted before the Supreme Court.
Thakur said the Lodha Committee had sent a questionnaire to the then BCCI president, secretary and treasurer to elicit information and date on various issues relevant for the final report.
“However, >during my interaction with the Lodha Committee , it did not seek my views on the proposed recommendations which ultimately find place in the report,” Thakur said in the affidavit on behalf of the BCCI.
Thakur said he had made enquiries with the current BCCI president, the treasurer and other administrators, all of whom had appeared before the Lodha panel and all of them confirmed that their views were also not sought during the interactions.
This is despite the Lodha report mentioning how constructive these interactions had been. “It is respectfully submitted that had the Lodha Committee put the proposed recommendations to the BCCI and/or its office-bearers before including them in the report, several aspects relating to the unintended adverse impact and consequences of implementing the same could have been clarified,” the affidavit said.
The affidavit pointed at how the > Lodha report recommends to the Supreme Court several changes in the memorandum , rules and regulations of the members of the BCCI, including those regarding grants, affiliation and recognition, without ever having consulted with any of the member associations that constitute the BCCI. The complaint about the functioning of the Lodha Committee is despite the Supreme Court describing the >recommendations as “straight-forward, rational and understandable ”.
The >apex court had sternly advised the cricket body to “fall in line” with the recommendations and save itself further trouble. This affidavit will be discussed in the hearing scheduled before a Bench of the Chief Justice of India, T.S. Thakur and F.M.I Kalifulla on March 3.
The affidavit, however, tries to make amends by saying that the BCCI is already in the process of “formulating solutions” to address all concerns highlighted by the Lodha Committee.
“The BCCI has benefited greatly from the report of the Lodha Committee, and is committed to implementing the changes/reforms in its functioning and operations to ensure greater professionalism, transparency and accountability, keeping in mind the underlying objective of better administration of cricket in India,” said Thakur.
