International cricket is back on the field, albeit with its familiar hide and seek game with the July weather in England. Even as the rest of cricket world watches with bated breath the action unfold at the Agean Bowl in Southampton, Indian cricket finds itself caught in a tangle of its own.
Board of Control for Cricket in India has a nine-member apex council as its highest decision making body, as per the recommendations of the Lodha Commission. As it turns out the same reforms, according to which the BCCI working committee was replaced by the apex council, are now coming in way of continuance of several members including the president, secretary and joint secretary. With the vice-president having already resigned, the apex council seems to be total disarray.
BCCI president Sourav Ganguly's term ends in July, secretary Jay Shah's term ended in June itself and joint secretary Jayesh George must demit office in August. All three must serve the cooling off period, as per the reforms, after having served six straight years at the state/board level.
The BCCI in its December annual meeting had passed a resolution separating the periods served at the state and national levels, thus doing away with the cooling off periods for all the three office-bearers in question but the decision awaits ratification by the Supreme Court. In its wisdom, BCCI has also added the Covid19 lockdown as yet another reason to allow the present set of officials to continue in their respective posts till 2025.
However, the apex council meeting of July 17 assumes great significance as BCCI has decided to treat the matter as sub-judice and hence maintaining status quo. In the absence of a specific stay order from the SC, it can be safely argued that BCCI may be in contravention of the laws, as has been already pointed by one of the apex council nominees .
It will be interesting to see how things unfold in SC as the BCCI plea has not even been listed for hearing.
Despite its battery of high profile legal luminaries giving advice, BCCI cannot be seen as defying SC rulings and face contempt proceedings. Not very long ago, a similar situation had drawn the SC's wrath leading to large-scale re-constitution of BCCI right up to the top with a Committee of Administrators looking after the day-to-day functioning for a considerable length of time.
Another slip and BCCI could find its stocks slipping further, especially when world cricket needs leadership.
Sports all over the world has been put on the back-burner and, as life limps back to somewhat near normal, bringing cricket back on the field should be a priority. Rather than push for extended tenures for its officials, BCCI could simply follow the norms as laid down by the SC order till the matter is heard.
Pushing the envelope with the highest court of the land may prove counter-productive. And challenging its order could draw consequences which the BCCI may find hard to swallow, given that the SC had earlier taken a dim view of the long-drawn defiance of the Lodha Commission reforms.
Board of Control for Cricket in India has a nine-member apex council as its highest decision making body, as per the recommendations of the Lodha Commission. As it turns out the same reforms, according to which the BCCI working committee was replaced by the apex council, are now coming in way of continuance of several members including the president, secretary and joint secretary. With the vice-president having already resigned, the apex council seems to be total disarray.
BCCI president Sourav Ganguly's term ends in July, secretary Jay Shah's term ended in June itself and joint secretary Jayesh George must demit office in August. All three must serve the cooling off period, as per the reforms, after having served six straight years at the state/board level.
The BCCI in its December annual meeting had passed a resolution separating the periods served at the state and national levels, thus doing away with the cooling off periods for all the three office-bearers in question but the decision awaits ratification by the Supreme Court. In its wisdom, BCCI has also added the Covid19 lockdown as yet another reason to allow the present set of officials to continue in their respective posts till 2025.
However, the apex council meeting of July 17 assumes great significance as BCCI has decided to treat the matter as sub-judice and hence maintaining status quo. In the absence of a specific stay order from the SC, it can be safely argued that BCCI may be in contravention of the laws, as has been already pointed by one of the apex council nominees .
It will be interesting to see how things unfold in SC as the BCCI plea has not even been listed for hearing.
Despite its battery of high profile legal luminaries giving advice, BCCI cannot be seen as defying SC rulings and face contempt proceedings. Not very long ago, a similar situation had drawn the SC's wrath leading to large-scale re-constitution of BCCI right up to the top with a Committee of Administrators looking after the day-to-day functioning for a considerable length of time.
Another slip and BCCI could find its stocks slipping further, especially when world cricket needs leadership.
Sports all over the world has been put on the back-burner and, as life limps back to somewhat near normal, bringing cricket back on the field should be a priority. Rather than push for extended tenures for its officials, BCCI could simply follow the norms as laid down by the SC order till the matter is heard.
Pushing the envelope with the highest court of the land may prove counter-productive. And challenging its order could draw consequences which the BCCI may find hard to swallow, given that the SC had earlier taken a dim view of the long-drawn defiance of the Lodha Commission reforms.
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