Rajeev Shukla, a former vice-president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), will head a newly-formed seven-member Special Committee, as decided at Monday’s Special General Meeting (SGM), to suggest a way forward for implementing the administrative overhaul prescribed in the Supreme Court order on July 18 last year.
Besides Shukla and BCCI acting secretary Amitabh Choudhary, who will be the convener of the meeting, the committee will include former India captain Sourav Ganguly (Bengal), T.C. Mathew (Kerala), Naba Bhattacharjee (Meghalaya), Jay Shah (Gujarat) and BCCI treasurer Anirudh Chaudhry.
According to a BCCI statement, the committee has been asked to submit a report by July 10 “in view of the fact that the next date of the apex court hearing in the matter is fixed for July 14.” The committee’s report will have to be tabled before the general body. It means the BCCI may well convene yet another SGM between July 10 and 14.
The formation of the committee is, in a way, a first step by the BCCI for almost a year since the Supreme Court pronounced the judgement. However, composition was far from being unanimous. A section within the Board pressed hard for committee to be chaired by BCCI acting president C.K. Khanna.
The section also tried for the inclusion of Odisha’s Ranjib Biswal. Both Khanna and Biswal are believed to be close aides of N. Srinivasan, the former BCCI and ICC chairman. The BCCI hierarchy eventually settled for Shukla who is known to get along with various factions within the Board.
Shah’s presence in the committee indicates that his father, BJP president Amit Shah, who also heads the Gujarat Cricket Association, may continue to suggest the BCCI’s way forward.
It is understood that the decision to appoint a committee was taken only after Shah Sr. conveyed to the SGM through his son his wish for forming a smaller a group.
