25 March 2024 last updated at 19:12 GMT
 
CoA rips apart Srinivasan and Shah
Wednesday 12 July 2017

CoA rips apart Srinivasan and Shah 
Admits failure to implement reforms, asks SC to enforce new constitution
Admitting that it has been unable to carry out the implementation of the Justice Lodha reforms, the Vinod Rai-led Committee of Administrators (CoA) has submitted a hard-hitting fourth status report in the Supreme Court. The submission comes a day before the apex court is set to resume hearing on the matter. 
In a scathing attack on former BCCI president N. Srinivasan and former secretary Niranjan Shah, the CoA asked the apex court to come down heavily on all disqualified members for allegedly disrupting and subverting the reforms processes. The vested interests of these individuals have stalled implementation of the reforms, it said. 
In more bad news for the BCCI members, the Rai-led panel has also requested the court to ensure that the new constitution, drafted by the Lodha committee, be simultaneously implemented across state associations and the BCCI without any further delay so that the BCCI AGM scheduled for September 2017 could take place as planned. The CoA request comes after the BCCI's failure to impose the constitution on its own in totality. 
Notably, the new CoA report has not taken into consideration the three areas that the BCCI had earlier found particularly difficult to implement, which were zeroed in on by the board's Special Committee.
“The first step in the timelines issued by Hon’ble Justice Lodha Committee is the formal adoption of the new Memorandum of Association and Rules and Regulations. This step is fundamental since several other steps in the aforementioned timelines can only be taken once the new BCCI constitution has been formally adopted… During the intervening period of three months since Committee of Administrators filed the Third Status report, every effort has been made by the CoA  to build consensus among constituent members for adoption of the new BCCI constitution. The CoA held two meetings with representatives of the constituent members of BCCI on May 6 and June 25 in an attempt to build consensus. But all these efforts were to no avail,” the report stated. The CoA termed the June 26 SGM held in Mumbai, held to pass majority of the reforms, as disruptive and accused disqualified members of hijacking the proceedings.
The status report stated that Srinivasan and Shah, though disqualified as per the SC order due to age and tenure norms, have indirectly violated the same order by attending BCCI SGMs citing non-applicability of the order on state associations.  
It has also requested the SC to instruct the Registrar of Tamil Nadu Societies, under which the BCCI is registered, to make necessary amendments for the new constitution to be in place. It requested the apex court to issue directions against disqualified persons from being nominated from state association to BCCI meetings or part of any committee, as was the case with Shah who forced his way in the special committee to block the age and tenure cap. 
While absolving acting secretary Amitabh Choudhary of any obstruction and acknowledging his efforts to convince members to accept the reforms, the CoA accused that treasurer Anirudh Chaudhry lacked courage to speak in favour of the reforms. Both the office bearers had filed personal undertakings to the SC saying they would implement reforms. 
The panel further slammed the BCCI members for refusing to adhere to the existing BCCI constitution and violating conflict of interest rules—even those in existence. The report also recommended affiliation of Cricket Association of Puducherry, which was blocked by Srinivasan. 
It also requested the court to accept changes in the steering committee headed by former Union Home Secretary G.K. Pillai to form players' association. While Diana Edulji, who was nominated to the Steering Committee is a CoA member,  Mohinder Amarnath and Anil Kumble, who were originally nominated by the apex court, do not wish to be a part of the same. The CoA has, instead, recommended former cricketers  Anshuman Gaekwad, Kapil Dev and Bharat Reddy to replace them. 
Admitting that it has been unable to carry out the implementation of the Justice Lodha reforms, the Vinod Rai-led Committee of Administrators (CoA) has submitted a hard-hitting fourth status report in the Supreme Court. The submission comes a day before the apex court is set to resume hearing on the matter. 

In a scathing attack on former BCCI president N. Srinivasan and former secretary Niranjan Shah, the CoA asked the apex court to come down heavily on all disqualified members for allegedly disrupting and subverting the reforms processes. The vested interests of these individuals have stalled implementation of the reforms, it said. 

In more bad news for the BCCI members, the Rai-led panel has also requested the court to ensure that the new constitution, drafted by the Lodha committee, be simultaneously implemented across state associations and the BCCI without any further delay so that the BCCI AGM scheduled for September 2017 could take place as planned. The CoA request comes after the BCCI's failure to impose the constitution on its own in totality. 

Notably, the new CoA report has not taken into consideration the three areas that the BCCI had earlier found particularly difficult to implement, which were zeroed in on by the board's Special Committee.

“The first step in the timelines issued by Hon’ble Justice Lodha Committee is the formal adoption of the new Memorandum of Association and Rules and Regulations. This step is fundamental since several other steps in the aforementioned timelines can only be taken once the new BCCI constitution has been formally adopted… During the intervening period of three months since Committee of Administrators filed the Third Status report, every effort has been made by the CoA  to build consensus among constituent members for adoption of the new BCCI constitution. The CoA held two meetings with representatives of the constituent members of BCCI on May 6 and June 25 in an attempt to build consensus. But all these efforts were to no avail,” the report stated. The CoA termed the June 26 SGM held in Mumbai, held to pass majority of the reforms, as disruptive and accused disqualified members of hijacking the proceedings.

The status report stated that Srinivasan and Shah, though disqualified as per the SC order due to age and tenure norms, have indirectly violated the same order by attending BCCI SGMs citing non-applicability of the order on state associations.  

It has also requested the SC to instruct the Registrar of Tamil Nadu Societies, under which the BCCI is registered, to make necessary amendments for the new constitution to be in place. It requested the apex court to issue directions against disqualified persons from being nominated from state association to BCCI meetings or part of any committee, as was the case with Shah who forced his way in the special committee to block the age and tenure cap. 

While absolving acting secretary Amitabh Choudhary of any obstruction and acknowledging his efforts to convince members to accept the reforms, the CoA accused that treasurer Anirudh Chaudhry lacked courage to speak in favour of the reforms. Both the office bearers had filed personal undertakings to the SC saying they would implement reforms. 

The panel further slammed the BCCI members for refusing to adhere to the existing BCCI constitution and violating conflict of interest rules—even those in existence. The report also recommended affiliation of Cricket Association of Puducherry, which was blocked by Srinivasan. 

It also requested the court to accept changes in the steering committee headed by former Union Home Secretary G.K. Pillai to form players' association. While Diana Edulji, who was nominated to the Steering Committee is a CoA member,  Mohinder Amarnath and Anil Kumble, who were originally nominated by the apex court, do not wish to be a part of the same. The CoA has, instead, recommended former cricketers  Anshuman Gaekwad, Kapil Dev and Bharat Reddy to replace them. 

(Courtesy: The Week)

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