The Supreme Court (SC) has once again pulled up the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for not implementing the Lodha Committee reforms. The apex court has also warned the cricketing body of severe consequences if it fails to do so.

However, the delay of a final verdict by the SC on September 21 has put the present administration of Indian cricket in a comfortable situation.

The earlier removal of some of the senior erring BCCI members and regular threats of possible serious consequences by the Supreme Court against the BCCI has now become a somewhat laughing matter. The SC, understandably, is giving the BCCI maximum opportunity to get its office in order. But the apex court needs to realise that it is dealing with many individuals who have no shame or ethics to boast of.

The SC has fixed the next hearing for October 30, 2017. The BCCI has been asked to give its “suggestions” on the proposed constitution that has been formulated and submitted by the Committee of Administrators (COA) to them. The BCCI has so far managed to prolong a final judgement in the case precisely because of words such as ‘etc,’ ‘recommendation,’ ‘practical.’ It will now manage to delay proceedings further through the word ‘suggestions.’ This is a game it has managed to play successfully for quite a while now.

Meanwhile, cricket has got underway in India, as the new season cannot wait either for the Lodha panel reforms or the COA’s requirements. Nearly a year-and-a-half has passed since the July 18, 2016 SC verdict and nothing constitutionally or administratively has changed at the ground level, including the state associations and their operations.

All these affiliated bodies, some of them ready to implement the reforms, are waiting for a final direction from the SC. Till then they are not bothered to take any worthwhile action, as it may force majority of the committee members to step down. They honestly feel it is pointless for them to give up their seats till some concrete direction does not come forth for them to do so.

Several annual general meetings have taken place at these associations where the complete implementation of Lodha reforms has been mocked and ridiculed. The verbal acceptance of the reforms at times by them is just for the ear, and can’t be taken seriously. Such acceptances are like high, wide bouncers, which can only be looked at and left alone, not played.

The recent incident of Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) members voting against ending proxy voting, in the reign of the present BCCI president, shows how much value and importance such cricket bodies and their members place on seriously adapting to the Lodha reforms. The chaos and confrontation between the BCCI members and the COA at the National Cricket Academy and during the finance committee meetings are some of the other incidents, which do not augur well for cricket in India. In such an uncertain atmosphere, the BCCI members are not a single force anymore. Many of them are not even eligible to hold their posts. So a delay in the final verdict has them clutching desperately to their chairs, awaiting the sword to finally fall on them. So it is far-fetched to expect them to unanimously agree to another of SC’s instructions.

The COA has submitted the new BCCI constitution to the SC. This is in line with the Lodha committees’ earlier suggestion. However, the COA has faltered in one very important area. If it wanted to implement what it has put forth, it should have formed an independent committee under an ombudsman in every concerned state. There are many honest and concerned individuals who would have been more than happy to assist the COA.

It needed an unbiased report to evaluate and suggest as to how the reforms could be expeditiously carried out at each centre. This would have had much more of an impact on the Supreme Court rather than submitting reams of paper that were already in the pipeline for well over a year.

The only way things are taken seriously is when a proper study is made and effective solutions are put into place together. The failure of the COA to do so will now unnecessarily prolong and delay any future constructive action, even when the SC gives its final go ahead. Expecting the power brokers and their loyal gang members at BCCI affiliated associations to assist and expedite matters in the immediate future is being rather naive. The COA still has time on its side to take some practical actions regarding the implementation of the constitution. The quicker it understands this, the better it will be for Indian cricket.

(The author is a former India cricketer)