BCCI's new administrators: Amicus Curiae submits nine names, Supreme Court says it's too many

New Delhi: The Supreme Court-appointed two-member panel on Friday submitted nine names to the apex court to run Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), in a sealed envelope.

The apex court has questioned the nine names, as two of them are reported said to be over 70 years of age. The court also said that while the number of candidates suggested by the panel is too much, it also said to consider the same.

SC says that cumulative period of nine years in BCCI and state bodies would not be disqualifying criteria to become member of boards.

While the court said that the number of candidates suggested by the panel is too much, it also said to consider the same.

Meanwhile, Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi has urged the Supreme Court to reconsider its January 2 order, since BCCI is a private body, but the decision partially affects the government as well.

The Supreme Court is soon likely to name the independent group of administrators, who will take charge of the functioning of the BCCI and oversee the implementation of the Justice (Retd )Lodha Committee proposals.

Advocate Anil B. Divan and Gopal Subramaniam had been asked by the apex court to assist in nominating persons of impeccable integrity as members of committee of administrators.

On January 2, the Supreme Court had removed BCCI president Anurag Thakur and secretary Ajay Shirke from their respective posts for their failure to bring transparency and accountability to the Indian cricket board and their non-compliance of the court`s July 18, 2016 order.

The apex court has also sought a reply from Thakur regarding perjury charges levelled against him by Subramaniam. On December 15, the top court had observed that Thakur prima facie appears to have committed matter of perjury in relation to demanding an intervention via a letter from the International Cricket Council (ICC) in order to sidestep the implementation of the Lodha Committee recommendations.

Earlier, in a landmark judgment on July 18, the apex court accepted major recommendations of Justice Lodha-led panel on structural reforms in the BCCI and had given six months deadline to the board to implement the recommendations.

On October 1, the board had accepted many of the "significant recommendations" of the Lodha Committee, but excluded the important ones which have been a bone of contention between the cricket body and the Lodha Panel.

The recommendations, which have still not been accepted by the 30-member committee, include one-state one-vote, age limit of 70 years, cooling-off period of three years which included the tenure of the administrators, continue with the five-selectors and retaining the powers of the president and secretary as per the earlier constitution of the board.