12 State associations won't use funds till SC's further orders: BCCI

Just days after Supreme Court passed an order to limit the financial freedom for the BCCI, the apex cricketing board has informed the Supreme Court that 12 of its member associations have kept the funds received by the cricket body in the term deposit and they will not utilise them until further orders of the apex court.

In an affidavit filed before the court, Ratnakar Shetty, BCCI’s General Manager (administration and game development) said the board has received letters in this regard from 12 member associations. Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Mumbai, Punjab, Saurashtra, Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh are the members who have sent letters to BCCI with regards to this Supreme Court decisions.

“The BCCI has received from 12 member associations letters stating that the funds received by them as due from BCCI between September 26, 2016, and October 1, 2016, have been kept by the respective associations in term deposit and that no part of the said amount will be utilised by them until further orders of the Supreme Court,” the board said in its affidavit.

On October 21, the apex court had blocked funds to the state associations till BCCI president Anurag Thakur and the units “undertake to implement” the Justice R M Lodha committee recommendations on reforms.

The apex court, in a slew of directions, had sought appointment of an “independent auditor” to “scrutinise and audit” the income and expenditure of the cash-rich body besides going into high-value contracts awarded to various entities awarded by it.

“BCCI shall forthwith cease and desist from making any disbursement of funds for any purpose whatsoever to any state association until and unless the state association concerned adopts a resolution undertaking to implement recommendations of the Committee as accepted by this Court in its judgement dated 18 July 2016.

“After such a resolution is passed and before any disbursement of funds takes place to the state association concerned, a copy of the resolution shall be filed before the Committee and before this Court, together with an affidavit of the President of the state association undertaking to abide by the reforms contained in the report of the Committee, as modified by this Court,” a bench comprising Chief Justice TS Thakur and Justices AM Khanwilkar and DY Chandrachud had said.

The bench had said that any transfer of funds “shall take place to the state associations” only after they accept terms and comply with them. It had directed Thakur and BCCI secretary Ajay Shirke to file separate “affidavits of compliance” before the court on or before December 3 in terms of the earlier order.

Meanwhile, the ongoing legal battle has also acted as a roadblock to the media rights bid which was scheduled to take place a day ago. The bids were to be opened in Mumbai on Tuesday, but late Monday night the BCCI, in a media advisory, stated that it could not proceed as it was awaiting direction from the Lodha Committee. BCCI president consequently issued an apology to the bidders who were here to participate.