BCCI and reforms

Zafri Mudasser Nofil
The Justice R M Lodha committee has suggested sweeping reforms in the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) in a bid to cleanse Indian cricket. And if the panel’s recommendations are implemented then it may be the end of the road in sports administration for Maratha strongman Sharad Pawar while current president Shashank Manohar may lose his voting rights.
BCCI secretary Anurag Thakur after completion of his current tenure may not immediately be able to contest for BCCI President’s post or he may have to relinquish one of the two posts he is holding at present, chief of the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association being the other. And also, British betting companies like Ladbrokes, through which people in UK and other parts of the world regularly place bets on EPL matches, Ashes, Fifa World Cup, may make their entry to India.
One of the most sensational suggestions of the committee, also comprising justices R V Raveendran and Ashok Bhan, was legalising betting with strong safeguards and criminalising match and spot fixing in cricket to ensure transparency in the game.
The committee said though betting is a general malaise indulged in by different sections of society, it can be dealt with by providing a legal framework.
“There is a fundamental difference between betting and match/spot-fixing. The latter interferes with the integrity of the game and attempts to change the course of the match. It is tampering the game by the cricket players to benefit a few.
On the other hand, betting is a general malaise indulged by different sections of society…
“While the issue of betting can be effectively dealt with by providing a legal framework, match/spot-fixing is neither pardonable nor a matter for regulation. The only way to deal with it is by making it a criminal offence punishable by law. The Committee recommends appropriate amendments by the legislature,” the panel said in its 159-page report.
The committee, however, said betting should be legalised with an in-built mechanism to ensure that players, match officials, administrators, team officials and owners will not be entitled to indulge in betting as it would continue to be an offence under the BCCI and IPL Rules and Regulations.
Detailing the safeguards, the report said that regulatory watchdogs would be necessary to ensure that betting houses as well as those transacting are strictly monitored, failing which the registrations would be susceptible to cancellation.
The committee also suggested restructuring of the BCCI’s administrative set-up, proposing the position of a CEO to run the daily affairs of the Board accountable to a nine-member apex council.
The panel said that to ensure transparency in BCCI’s functioning, it is important to bring the body under the purview of the Right to Information Act, something that the Board has vehemently opposed in the past citing its autonomy.
Another important decision taken by the committee was to clear former IPL COO Sundar Raman, who was alleged to have contacts with bookies. The panel said there was not enough evidence to indict Raman.
The committee said on the basis of investigation and material before it, it does not seem that Raman’s omission in informing the IPL Governing Body about the betting activities in 2013 was with “any ulterior or oblique motive or intended to cover or protect someone or was part of any corrupt activity”.
Putting a cap on the age and tenure of the BCCI office-bearers, the committee said that the Board members should not hold office for more than three terms. The president can have only two terms of three years each but other office bearers can have three terms. There will be a compulsory cooling off period after each term for all office-bearers.
On the proposed BCCI CEO, the panel said, “There should be an apex council for the BCCI comprising 9 members, of which 5 should be elected, 2 should be representatives of players association, and one woman. Day to day management of the BCCI will be conducted by the CEO. He will be assisted by 6 professional managers and the team of CEO and managers will be accountable to the apex council.”
On the IPL, which has been battling a credibility crisis ever since the 2013 spot-fixing scandal, the Panel recommended a revamp of its Governing Council.
“Two other members of the IPL Governing Council will be nominated/elected by the full members. Of the remaining five, two will be the nominees of franchises, one will be a representative of the players association (so one needs to be formed), one will be a nominee of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India’s office,” it suggested.
Besides, the panel said that the Board should have an Ombudsman for dealing with internal conflicts, a suggestion that the Board has already accepted by appointing Justice AP Shah to the position in November last year.
The report was also placed before the Supreme Court and the BCCI and would be considered by the bench headed by Chief Justice T S Thakur at a later stage. The Lodha Commission recommendations come days after the BCCI had gone for a massive overhaul in a bid to improve its image. Cracking the whip on conflict of interest in the cash-rich but factionridden Board, the BCCI had announced a slew of reforms and removed its scam-tainted former boss Narayanaswami Srinivasan as ICC chairman.
Justice Lodha and his team must be lauded for the comprehensive document on reforms regarding Indian cricket. But how many of the recommendations are implemented remains to be seen. And it will also be interesting to see how the BCCI reacts to the report.
The BCCI has decided to call a Special General Meeting (SGM) to discuss the implications of the report. The members will discuss if at all they will challenge some of the points in the recommended report. The next few days will be interesting and Indian cricket fans will wait with bated breath for some more good news.
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