Dismiss all BCCI office bearers, make ex-home secretary GK Pillai observer: Lodha panel tells SC

New Delhi: Justice Lodha panel submitted its report to the Supreme Court on Monday suggesting the dismissal of all office bearers of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

It also recommended former home secretary GK Pillai as interim observer with a power to appoint auditor and all necessary secretarial staff, assistance and remuneration as may be determined appropriate by the panel.

In its status report submitted today, the panel put the blame on the Indian cricket board for the failure to implement the recommendations in toto.

It's, however, reported that the apex court will now hear the panel's plea and subsequently pass a judgment.

The BCCI has been at loggerhead with the Supreme Court appointed panel over the matters of cricket reform in the country. And only last month, the apex court asked BCCI president Anurag Thakur and 13 state associations to implement the proposed reforms.

However, the BCCI maintained that it will be impossible to implement all the panel's proposals.

In its most recent hearing, the apex court on October 21 had placed restrictions on BCCI's financial freedoms, including stoppage of disbursement to state associations. It later allowed the release of limited funds for the conduct of the ongoing Test series between India and England.

Then Thakur filed a 19-point Compliance Report as per Supreme Court's directions, in which he stated about the practical difficulties in implementing the Lodha panel reforms in totality.

Thakur in his affidavit has stated since neither he nor the secretary Ajay Shirke have a vote, they cannot force the members units to accept the recommendations.

Some of the major objections raised by the BCCI are One-State One Vote (Mumbai, Baroda, Railways etc lose voting rights), age cap of 70 years, One person-One Post, three-year cooling off period, three national selectors to name a few.

It's pertinent to mention that the panel was constituted by the Supreme Court after the infamous 2013 Indian Premier Premier (IPL) betting scandal which rocked cricket world.

The three-member Lodha panel, led by former Chief Justice of India RM Lodha, was appointed by the Supreme Court in January 2015 to pronounce the quantum of punishment for those found guilty by the Mudgal report.