The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), at its Annual General Meeting (AGM) on Sunday, put on hold amendments to six important rules of its new constitution that were approved by the Supreme Court and registered with the Tamil Nadu Registrar of Societies in Chennai in August 2018.
As an afterthought, the BCCI has chosen to refer the amendments to the Supreme Court and seek its approval before tabling them at the general body meeting.
Court’s fiat
The amendments relate to the powers of its office-bearers and the apex council, the president and secretary’s tenure/period in office, relaxation in the age cap of 70 for its representative to the ICC, and relief from the obligation to approach the Supreme Court to obtain its approval for every amendment it makes to the constitution.
The Supreme Court, by its order of August 9, 2018, had said that the BCCI shall not amend its constitution without its approval.
“We have brought to the notice of the court respectfully that certain things are difficult to implement, and that certain things are required for better running of the administration. We have seen orders being amended in the past. Just as every citizen has got the right, we have stated that certain things could be done to get the administration to work better. It is a prayer,” explained BCCI president Sourav Ganguly.
At its 88th AGM held at the Cricket Centre here, the BCCI, with 38 full members, nominated its secretary Jay Shah to the Chief Executive Committee (CEC) of the International Cricket Council (ICC). Mr. Jay, son of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, will replace BCCI CEO Rahul Johri in the ICC’s CEC. The AGM has authorised its five-member office-bearers to nominate the BCCI’s representative on the decision-making ICC Board.
It was on the basis of the new constitution that the Committee of Administrators (CoA) and the electoral officer conducted the BCCI elections on October 23.
Rise in subsidy
Among other things, the AGM favourably considered proposals to raise the infrastructure subsidy to associations and the match fee to the senior domestic players, to establish a support system for the new full members and put in place an umpire dedicated to adjudicate no-balls in the IPL.
