Supreme Court adjourns hearing on Lodha panel recommendations till December 14

This is the second time that the hearing on this vexed issue, involving the BCCI has been postponed by the apex court.

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday adjourned the hearing on the Indian cricket board's objection to implement Lodha panel recommendations to December 14.

The bench, headed by Chief Justice of India T.S. Thakur, cited the many pending cases before the court as the reason for the adjournment.

This is the second time that the hearing on this vexed issue, involving the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), has been postponed by the apex court.

On Monday, the hearing was adjourned for the first time and given today's date.

The apex court on November 25 agreed to hear on December 5 a plea of Cricket Association of Bihar (CAB) seeking a direction to BCCI to implement the suggestions of Lodha panel, including appointment of ex-home secretary G K Pillai as observer and sacking of all office bearers who are in violation of its recommendations.

CAB mentioned the matter before a bench comprising Thakur and Justice D Y Chandrachud, which perused the third status report submitted by the Lodha panel.

In its third status report submitted in the apex court on November 14, the Lodha panel has sought a direction to appoint Pillai as an observer to "guide" BCCI in administrative works including award of contracts, transparency norms and holding of future domestic, international and IPL matches.

The committee has also sought a declaration from the court that all office bearers of cash-rich BCCI and state cricket bodies, who are in violation of laid down norms with regard to 70 year age cap, citizenship and tenures, "cease to hold office forthwith".

But BCCI continued to hold firm in their defiance, and held a Special General Meeting (SGM) on December 2 in Mumbai.