BCCI form committee to 'study and find best ways' to implement Lodha reforms

Despite the Supreme Court-appointed CoA appeal to all state associations to expedite the process of implementing all Justice Lodha Committee recommendations, members unanimously voted for the constitution

BCCI acting secretary Amitabh Chaudhary during a press conference at the Wankhede Staduim yesterday. Pic/Suresh Karkera

Despite the Supreme Court-appointed Committee of Administrators' (CoA) appeal to all state associations on the eve of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Special General Meeting (SGM) in Mumbai on Sunday, to expedite the process of implementing all Justice Lodha Committee recommendations, the members yesterday unanimously voted for the constitution of another committee to study the recommendations and find the best possible way to implement the reforms.

The two-and-a-half-hour SGM held at the BCCI headquarters here, also saw the emergence of controversial former BCCI chief N Srinivasan representing the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association.

Lengthy debate
"The house deliberated, most importantly, on the implementation of the Lodha Committee recommendations, and with a view to completing the implementation process, constituted a committee which will examine how best and quickly the recommendations can be implemented. The committee will be constituted in the next two days and the first report should be ready in a fortnight," BCCI's acting secretary Amitabh Chaudhary told the media in an impromptu press conference.

"Regarding the numbers of the committee members, it has been left to the office bearers. It could be five or six. The BCCI CEO will not be a member of this committee and it will be constituted from the BCCI's managing committee members," said Chaudhary.

The deadline has been set keeping the July 14 date in mind when the court reopens after its summer holidays, and when the CoA is supposed to submit its report. The question however is, why a committee now? And if they go on to look into each and every recommendation, won't that be a time consuming exercise delaying the whole process?
"The committee will go into each and every action plan necessitated by the principal judgement and then, only those exceptional and limited areas of difficulty would be brought to the notice of the COA, which will thereafter be put up for necessary action," added Chaudhary.

Delaying tactic
The three contentious issues are: a) one-state-one-vote, b) the cooling off period, and c) the 70 years age cap for office bearers. Apart from the above mentioned clauses, the three-member selection panel is also something that the BCCI has brought to the CoA's notice in previous meetings. It was also learnt that the head of the CoA, Vinod Rai, had assured all the associations that their grievances would be put in front of the Supreme Court and workable solution would be found. So, the constitution of another committee to look into the matter now seems like a delaying tactic.

"I am not exactly aware of the CoA's words but I believe it was done to expedite the process and we are also trying to do the same. The committee will start work in two days and the rest should follow soon," added Chaudhary.

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