A marathon session of over a dozen hearings on implementation of Justice Rajendra Mal Lodha panel recommendations on structural reforms in the Board of Control for Cricket in India came to an end on Wednesday in the Supreme Court, which took the Indian cricket board to task over issues like fund utilisation and avoiding of performance audits.
Reforms in the Board of Control for Cricket in India will not pull the cash-rich body back, the Supreme Court said on Tuesday and made it clear that it does not intend to reduce the popularity of the BCCI or hinder its growth but wants structural reforms which would make the cricket body more transparent.
The BCCI followed the reverse bidding process to select the two new team owners. The new teams will replace the suspended teams Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals, for two years.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India informed the Supreme Court on Tuesday that 12 of its member associations have kept the funds received by the cricket body in term deposit and they will not utilise them until further orders of the apex court.
According to a report in the Indian Express newspaper, the decision to call off the tour was taken following Justice L M Lodha committee's direction to banks to freeze the accounts of the BCCI.
The BCCI submitted a 60-page affidavit to the Supreme Court in which it stated it's opposition to certain points in the Lodha Committee report including one association and one vote for each state and also the inclusion of a representative of the Comptroller and auditor general (CAG) in the Board.
A bench comprising Chief Justice J S Khehar and Justice D Y Chandrachud said, "We will think over it".
Gujarat Lions owner Keshav Bansal expressed happiness that the new franchise managed to get 'experienced and talented' players for the upcoming ninth edition of the Indian Premier League and is confident that captain Suresh Raina can make a strong comeback in the IPL after a dismal showing in the just-concluded World T20.
The BCCI's much-awaited elections have been rescheduled by a day to October 23 in the wake of assembly elections in Haryana and Maharashtra.
Shaken by Justice RM Lodha committee's recommended reforms of its governance structure, the Board of Control for Cricket in India has decided to call a Special General Meeting (SGM) within the next two weeks to discuss the implications of the report.
Veteran sports administrator Narinder Batra quit his positions as International Hockey Federation president and also gave up IOC membership, hours after CBI conducted multiple raids at his residence and offices in New Delhi and Jammu.
The Supreme Court on Wednesday issued show cause notice to Board of Control for Cricket in India's acting secretary Amitabh Choudhary to explain why its order on the Justice Rajendra Mal Lodha committee recommendations has not be implemented so far.
The Supreme Court on Wednesday allowed modification of BCCI's constitution and paved the way for its president Sourav Ganguly and secretary Jay Shah to continue in office without having to serve the mandatory cooling-off period.
Aditya Verma, the secretary of the Cricket Assocition of Bihar (CAB), has lodged a complaint with BCCI's Ombudsman Justice Ajit Prakash Shah that the Board's joint secretary Amitabh Choudhary has conflict of interest and wants the matter to be investigated.
In a landmark judgement, the Supreme Court on Monday removed Board of Control for Cricket in India president Anurag Thakur, while secretary Ajay Shirke was also removed from his post.
'All of us tend to believe that they are so well paid, why should we bother about their payments.' 'But who all are well paid? Only a handful, maybe 3-4 of them, who go in for endorsements and things.' 'The others are struggling, playing Ranji Trophy and other matches, so that compensation we made it market-oriented.'
Former Board of Control for Cricket in India president Anurag Thakur on Thursday tendered a fresh "unconditional" and "unequivocal" apology in the Supreme Court, saying it was never his intention to undermine the majesty of the apex court.
The Supreme Court came down heavily on cash-rich BCCI on Tuesday, saying the cricket body was running like a "mutually beneficial society" and "practically corrupting" its members by not seeking any explanation on how crores of rupees allotted to them were being spent. While scrutinising the fund allocation and expenses of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), the apex court also pulled it up for not giving funds to neglected states for promotion of cricket and said it has done nothing to encourage the game. It was also critical of the discrimination meted out to different states by BCCI and said the states begged for money from the board which follows a "no questions asked" policy as a method to buy votes in a certain manner. Lauding the work done by Justice R M Lodha-led committee for bringing out massive structural change in functioning of BCCI, the bench said "this is not an ordinary panel. It is a committee on which we have complete faith. It is committee of judges and its findings have to be relied upon. We cannot say that the findings are perverse."
The searches are linked to suspected movement of hawala money during the ongoing polls season and tax evasion, they said.
Despite all the controversies, the IPL's brand value hasn't diminished. Instead, says Harish Kotian/Rediff.com, the IPL made the BCCI richer by over Rs 3 billion!
Former Board of Control for Cricket in India president Narayanswami Srinivasan cannot represent the Board at the International Cricket Council's meeting next week as he has been held guilty of conflict of interest, the Supreme Court said.
Persistent efforts by the Board of Control for Cricket in India and its full members to block implementation of some crucial recommendations of the Justice Rajendra Mal Lodha committee on Wednesday provoked the Supreme Court to observe that public functions relating to cricket can be taken over by the government with the enactment of a law in Parliament.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India, on Monday, decided to indefinitely defer the awarding of its global media rights -- broadcast and digital -- which was scheduled for Tuesday as the Justice RM Lodha Committee is yet to appoint an independent auditor to oversee the entire process.
Sacked Board of Control for Cricket in India secretary Ajay Shirke on Monday said he is 'absolutely fine' with the Supreme Court order asking him to leave office but hopes that the BCCI does not lose its international standing owing to the administrative upheaval.
Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals were suspended from the Indian Premier League for two years for betting activities of their key officials, Gurunath Meiyappan and Raj Kundra, during the 2013 season of cash-rich Twenty20 cricket tournament.
The Supreme Court bench comprising of Chief Justice T S Thakur and Justices A M Khanwilkar and D Y Chandrachud warned if there is a false statement given by BCCI office bearers on affidavit, then perjury or contempt proceedings could be initiated.
The Supreme Court judgement will hopefully ensure that those in power and authority will hesitate before allotting precious natural resources that belong to each and every citizen of the country in an arbitrary and corrupt manner, says Paranjoy Guha Thakurta.
It said the sleuths have recovered Rs 14.6 crore of "unaccounted" cash and seized diaries and computer files of suspect payments made between Madhya Pradesh and Delhi.
Off the field the Board of Control for Cricket in India looks set for a complete overhaul with Supreme Court's stinging observations tightening the noose around the mandarins of the richest sports body.
Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals were suspended from the Indian Premier League for two years for betting activities of their key officials, Gurunath Meiyappan and Raj Kundra, during the 2013 season of cash-rich Twenty20 cricket tournament.
Indian cricket's fortunes ebbed and flowed in 2015 with Virat Kohli successfully leading the national side in Tests and Mahendra Singh Dhoni appearing to be losing his midas touch, while in off the field drama Shashank Manohar returned as the president of Board of Control for Cricket in India.
Admittedly, EVMs too have a UID number and any convergence of data can make the secret ballot system a party of history, warns Dr Gopal Krishna in the 5th part of his series against Aadhaar.