‘Appoint correct election officer by July 24’

Committee of Administrators issues directive to BCCI members.

Hints of another round of a tussle between the Committee of Administrators (CoA) and the BCCI members who are not keen on implementing the Lodha reforms is likely to ensue in the coming weeks.

It has been a little more than three years since the apex court accepted the Lodha reforms on July 2016, and then again on August 9, 2018, after which it asked Amicus Curiae P.S. Narasimha to mediate with the State Associations on the irritating issues and bring about a solution.

On Tuesday, the CoA — which, on May 21, after a meeting with the Amicus Curiae outlined a BCCI AGM deadline for October 22, 2019 —asked the BCCI members to fall in line by correcting anomalies in their bylaws that strayed from the BCCI Constitution approved by the Supreme Court.

Proactive

The CoA got proactive in the last few days by sending a list of aspects that some BCCI members needed to correct, failing which the member would lose its rights to attend the AGM and contest for posts in the Apex Council.

The CoA’s note to the BCCI members pointed out the inconsistencies in the bylaws on (1) the formation of the Apex Council and Committees; (2) voting rights for international cricketers; (3) appointment of the election officer by July 24 (the timeline set on May 21 had actually nominated July 1 as the date for appointing the election officer); and a few more like checking out, as in the case of the Mumbai Cricket Association, if any of its cricket clubs are also Social Clubs.

The BCCI members have been told to appoint, by July 24, a retired Chief Election Commissioner of the State or a Central Election Commissioner, as the election officer. “Many States were doing the wrong things. They have been told to rectify,” divulged an official who has been in touch with the CoA.

Objection

An official of a State Association countered the CoA move by saying: “Who are they to set deadlines for elections? They are not the Supreme Court. During our meeting with the Amicus, certain issues were taken up and the understanding was that the Supreme Court would give its opinion. The CoA is not the Supreme Court.”

About 13 members, including Assam and the six new members from the North-East, and Vidarbha, have accepted the New BCCI Constitution and hence are receiving their annual subventions.

The CoA has been constantly monitoring the process of Constitutional amendments made by the members in terms with the New BCCI Constitution.

An official of the Mumbai Cricket Association said: “We have been told to revert with our positions on the territorial jurisdiction for giving voting rights to retired international cricketers, to reveal if any of the clubs are social clubs and also on the appointment of the election officer. The CoA has said that the State should be the territorial jurisdiction for international cricketers, but we feel the jurisdiction is Mumbai city. All our clubs are cricket clubs and we have been searching for s retired Chief Election Commissioner of the State who can be appointed as the Election Officer.’’

The CoA believes that once the Election Officer is appointed, the election process can start so that the BCCI AGM and Elections can be held on October 22.