Supreme Court to hear CAB's plea for implementation of Lodha panel report

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday 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 recoomendations.

CAB mentioned the matter before a bench comprising Chief Justice T S Thakur and Justice D Y Chandrachud, which perused the third status report submitted by the Justice R M Lodha Lodha committee, and said that the plea would come up for hearing on December 5 when the main matter would be heard.

"We will hear it on December 5," the bench said when CAB, through its secretary Aditya Varma, said that Pillai should be appointed as an observer of BCCI as per the suggestions of 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".

"While the day-to-day administration of BCCI is presently carried out by the CEO and certain managers who assist him in this regard, there would be a need to appoint an observer who would guide BCCI in its administration, particularly with reference to the award of contracts, transparency norms, audit, etc., for domestic, international and IPL cricket to be played hereafter.

"The committee recommends that G K Pillai, former Union home secretary be appointed as the observer, with a power to appoint auditor and all necessary secretarial staff, assistance and remuneration as may be determined appropriate by the committee," the report, filed through panel's secretary Gopal Sankaranarayanan, has said.

It has referred to recommendations, approved by the court, on criteria for holding posts in BCCI and state cricket bodies and said that they include that a person should be an Indian citizen and below 70 years of age.

The office bearer should not be "insolvent, or of unsound mind" or a minister or government servant, the panel has said, adding that criteria also included that such a person should not be holding "any office or post in a sports or athletic association or federation apart from cricket".

The committee, in its report, has also pleaded with the court to issue a direction that now "all administrative and management matters be carried out by the CEO of the BCCI without advertence to the office bearers".

It has also sought the authority for itself "to appoint all necessary secretarial staff, assistance and fix remuneration as may be determined appropriate".

Quoting the July 18 verdict, it said that most of its recommendations were accepted by the court.

On July 18, the apex court had accepted almost all major recommendations of the Lodha committee on reforms in BCCI including a bar on ministers and civil servants and those above 70 from becoming its members, but left it to Parliament to decide whether it should come under RTI and betting on the game should be legalised.

It had also accepted the recommendations of the committee to have a CAG nominee in BCCI and had rejected BCCI's objection to recommendations for one-state-one-vote.

The bench had also accepted the recommendation that one person should hold one post in cricket administration to avoid any conflict of interest and scrapping of all other administrative committees in the BCCI after CAG nominee comes in.