Disqualified administrators can't return as representatives - Lodha committee

Disqualified administrators can't return as representatives - Lodha committee Gopal Sankaranarayan, secretary of the Lodha Committee, on Thursday (January 12) issued a fresh set of clarifications to the representatives of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and members of state associations with regards to the finer points in the implementation of the transformational

directives. Chief among the clarifications, is the decision to not allow disqualified office bearers as representative members either at the state association or at the BCCI.

"In keeping with the spirit of the hon'ble supreme court's judgment, a disqualified office bearer is no longer to be associated with cricket administration. He/She is disqualified from being a representative or nominee of the member association or the BCCI and cannot discharge any other role in or on behalf of the association or the BCCI. He/She cannot function within the association in any patron or advisory capacity nor be a member of a committee or council," the Lodha committee stated.

The Maharashtra Cricket Association, for example, was reported to have assigned Ajay Shirke, the disqualified former secretary of the board, as its representative in the BCCI. Such an appointment will no longer be possible. The disqualified members will not be able to represent BCCI at International Cricket Council (ICC) meetings as well.

The committee also elucidated that office bearers in the the middle of their terms would be eligible to contest in elections but their existing tenure will count towards the cooling-off period consideration. "If at the time of the election, the existing office bearer has not completed a period of 3 years, he is eligible to contest the election. However, he will not have a full term and will have to demit office immediately upon the continuous 3 year period being completed," the report said.

Addressing concerns surrounding the conduct of elections in the state associations, the committee said it would be "prudent" for the state association to conduct the elections under the guidance of the administrators to be appointed by the apex court in its January 19 verdict. However, there is no bar on holding elections as long as it is not inconsistent with the said recommendations or court orders. This clarification will directly impact the Hyderabad Cricket Association, which is scheduled to host its election on January 17, two days before the formation of the aforementioned committee.

The committee also simplified the use of "office bearers" in its report, and the term will not be limited to just the president, secretary, vice-presidents, treasurer and joint-secretary. State associations, like the Cricket Association of Bengal, which has defined bylaws for the existence of posts such as Assistant Secretary/Assistant Treasurer, will need to ensure that such administrators too fall under the ambit of the nine-year tenure cap.

"For example, in an association where the constitution refers to the assistant treasurer as an office bearer, if a person has occupied that post for 3 years and also been secretary for 6 years, he stands disqualified."

In the clarification mail, the Lodha committee also came out clear on the confusion surrounding the type of membership of an association, to the eligibility of the office bearer. Regardless of the type of membership of the association (full/associate/affiliate) and the subsequent change of type according to the Lodha recommendations, the entire tenure of the office bearer will count towards the nine-year period.

"However, this will not apply to an association which has never been a member of the BCCI. In such an event, the tenure of the office bearer will be calculated only from the date of the affiliation, unless he had already been the office bearer of another affiliated association," the committee stated.

Meanwhile, the committee has ratified the pruning of the selection committee to a three-member group from the existing five-member panel. Jatin Paranjpe and Gagan Khoda, who have not played Tests for India, technically fail to meet the eligibility criteria for selectors and will not be part of the committee to pick the Rest of the India team for the forthcoming Irani Trophy match.