Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Apr 20: The High Court today issued notices to Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and Chairman and President of Jammu and Kashmir Cricket Association in response to a petition seeking direction for appointment of a political person as head of the Association in the light of Supreme Court directions.
The Court of Justice D S Thakur today issued notice to JKCA Chairman and President and the BCCI and directed them to file reply to the contentions raised in the petition by or before next date, which is May 17.
A group of cricketers have submitted a petition before the HC seeking direction upon respondents to make JKCA functional and elect the management in light of the guidelines provided by the Supreme Court. Direction is also sought on chairman of JKCA to implement the orders of SC in letter and spirit.
Petitioners alleged that the working committee of JKCA elects various office bearers against the orders of Supreme Court. They said that despite the order of Supreme Court whereby JKCA elected members have been sacked and the second deadline issued by Lodha panel and declared that by November 2016 State Associations should appoint new electoral office.
They petitioners said that they have been let down by the State Cricket Association as it is determined to ruin their professional career by not opting for fair and transparent process in running it.
They also submitted that JKCA has been infamous for sometime about the infighting between various political groups and the rivalries have led to compromise in nurturing the vast and raw talent of the youth of the State.
“Cricket being the only secular unifying religion in our heterogeneous country forced the Supreme Court to constitute a committee under former Chief Justice of India RM Lodha to recommend reforms for cricket in India. Lodha committee after a thorough study of the BCCI’s and State associations functioning presented its recommendations to the Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court ruled in favour of the majority of the committee’s recommendations and directed the BCCI and State Associations to implement said recommendations as per the guidelines framed by the Lodha committee.
The Supreme Court, the petitioners said, by its further orders sacked the higher echelons of the JKCA, leaving JKCA in total chaos, which has made the petitioners to suffer of no fault of theirs.
It is mentioned here that Supreme Court constituted a committee under its former Chief Justice to recommend reforms for cricket in India and determine punishments for those accused by the Mudgal Committee and directed the Lodha Committee would oversee the transition and help to implement the reforms.
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