RAJKOT: National Cricket Academy (NCA) chairman and former president of Saurashtra Cricket Association (SCA) Niranjan
Shah has said that he is 'pained' by the way he is being treated by the
Supreme Court appointed
Committee of Administrators (COA) of the Board Of Control For Cricket In India (
BCCI), which is 'insulting' and 'humiliating' for a person who has dedicated his entire life to cricket.
In a letter to members of COA on December 18, Shah has also raised questions on how the powers of BCCI could be vested only in the hands of two individuals. He has further urged the COA to permit him to continue as chairman of NCA and his alternate views should not be perceived as obstruction or offensive towards members of the committee.
Shah was disqualified as official of BCCI and office-bearer of SCA after the recommendation of SC-appointed Lodha committee last year. The committee had restricted members above 70 years from holding office.
"I have dedicated my entire life for the benefit of cricket both at association level as well at national and international level. It's grossly insulting, humiliating and embarrassing for me to be treated in this way by the administration of BCCI," Shah stated in his letter. He alleged that
Tufan Ghosh has been appointed the new chief operating officer of NCA without his knowledge although he is NCA chairman and he came to know about this development only from newspaper reports.
Questioning the function of COA, Shah alleged, "COA simply lacks the necessary experience and number of members necessary for varying opinions and healthy discussions to arrive at well-rounded decisions." Alleging that COA has appointed itself as the working committee of BCCI, he said, "While bypassing the processes in the hands of two individuals is exactly the kind of situation that Justice Lodha committee reforms cautioned against."
Stating that COA's role is to supervise, Shah said, "The intent is for the COA to supervise the administration and not usurp the administration."
The former SCA president had earlier lodged protest when BCCI held meeting of NCA in September without informing him. In the letter Shah argued "if the argument is that I am not qualified to be an office-bearer of state association and so I ought not to be a part of NCA, the same is incorrect on several levels. The SC has restricted the disqualification age, it does not in any way prohibit citizens above the age of 70 or otherwise disqualified officers from being part of BCCI sub-committees."
