Justice RM Lodha disconsolate with delay in implementation of reforms

The Supreme Court appointed the Lodha committee in early 2015 to look into the way cricket is run by the BCCI. The committee then recommended major changes which the BCCI had to undergo in order to make sure transparency in the system. After resistance by a lot of state boards, on July 18, 2016, the Supreme Court ruled in favour of implementing a majority of recommendations given by the committee.

It has been almost a year and the recommendations are not fully adopted. In January this year, the SC appointed a four-man panel to oversee the running of the BCCI till the board can hold fresh elections as per the Lodha recommendation. The panel is known as CoA and led by Vinod Rai. They have recently appointed a 7-man panel to induct changes as stated by the Lodha panel in the best possible manner.

Justice RM Lodha was critical of the BCCI for taking a long time in inducing changes as suggested by his panel. He was also not happy with the CoA, saying that they have shown no urgency in finishing their jobs.

“I don’t understand why they (COA) have got involved in incidental matters and not shown urgency in doing the job they were supposed to perform”. Commenting on the role of the COA he added, “structural changes, a new governance model in place and work on getting a Players Association functional,” said Justice Lodha in an interview with the Indian Express.

N Srinivasan, who was disqualified from holding any position in the BCCI as he was over the age cap set by the Lodha panel, was seen attending top BCCI meetings. The CoA did not restrict the former BCCI president’s appearances which has riled Lodha. “It was for the CoA to see that all those who are not eligible to attend meetings are not allowed to do so. I don’t understand how this is happening,” Justice Lodha said.

Speaking of the 7-man panel appointed by the BCCI, which consists of top names like Sourav Ganguly and Rajiv Shukla, Justice Lodha said that it is an internal matter of the board but they can’t take too much time to get the work done.

“This is an internal matter of the board, but how long can the board continue to stall reforms? Whatever objections or reservations they had were heard in court and only after that was the order passed. They can’t keep finding one excuse after another. Whether illegal or not, it is certainly against the spirit and soul of the court order.”

The Lodha panel shook Indian cricket ever since they came into action. The various state boards rebuked the implementations; with a majority of them unhappy with the one state one vote policy and the age cap of 70 for office bearers, but in the end, the BCCI had no option but to adhere to the major recommendations as per the Supreme Court ruling.