BCCI v Lodha: Supreme Court to reject names over 70 years

BCCI v Lodha: Supreme Court to reject names over 70 years NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court of India has today rejected all nine names submitted by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) counsel, but granted senior lawyer Kapil Sabil permission to provide suggestions for an interim panel to run Indian cricket. During Tuesday's hearing, the apex court dismissed the names to be appointed as

BCCI administrators, submitted in a sealed envelope, while asserting that any individual over the age of 70 will not be appointed as BCCI administrators. However, the bench gave Sibal the go-ahead for suggestions for names for an interim panel until fresh board elections can be held.

However, the Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi opposed the appointment of BCCI administrators and asked the SC to delay the decision by two weeks.  The SC asked the Centre and BCCI to suggest names for administrator by Friday and it will appoint the administrator on January 30.

In its order from January 2, during which it had removed Anurag Thakur as BCCI president and disqualified all the board and its state association office bearers who had failed to meet the new norms set by the Justice Lodha Committee, the SC had stated that cricket administrators would be allowed to hold office for a cumulative period of nine years, inclusive of the time they hold office in their respective state associations as well as the BCCI. However, as this was in contrast to that of July 18 which stated that the cumulative tenure would be limited to nine plus nine years - that is, nine years within the BCCI and nine in state associations - the SC last week offered further clarify and set the ineligibility clause as "an office-bearer of the BCCI for nine years or a State Association for the same period".

On January 20, the centre moved the SC against the implementation of the Lodha Committee recommendations on behalf of the Railway Sports Promotion Board, Services Sports Control Board and All India Universities - three sporting bodies that held full membership of the BCCI earlier but now stand relegated to associate member status without voting rights as per the Lodha panel's "one state-one vote" recommendation.