New Delhi : In another act of brazen defiance, the Indian cricket board (BCCI) decided against implementing the contentious age, tenure and cooling-off recommendations at its Special General Meeting (SGM) here today. BCCI, after showing intent over the past few weeks to implement most of the recommendations made by the Lodha Committee, did a complete U-turn at its SGM, with the participating representatives of the state units unanimously voicing their objection to five “difficult and impractical” reforms.
The five recommendations the officials objected to are: matters pertaining to membership (one-state one-vote); demarcation of the functions of the elected office-bearers and the appointed executives; size of the proposed Apex Council (BCCI wants to increase the number of its members to six from five); size of the national selection panel (BCCI wants a five-member selection panel while the Lodha Committee had recommended a three-member body); and, most importantly, the age, tenure and cooling-off period. The resolution was passed unanimously.
BCCI’s objection to the recommendations pertaining to the age, tenure and cooling-off period is likely to invite the Supreme Court’s wrath at the all-important September 5 hearing. The hearing scheduled for August 18 would revolve around two issues -filling the two vacant posts of the Committee of Administrators (CoA), and looking into the difficulties, as pointed out by BCCI today, in implementing the Lodha reforms.