CoA chairman Vinod Rai. (Source: Express Archive)
The Committee of Administrators (CoA) comprising Vinod Rai (chairman) and Diana Edulji has recommended the holding of the BCCI Annual General Meeting (AGM) to elect new office-bearers, filing its seventh status report before the Supreme Court. The CoA has also called for the formation of the new IPL Governing Council. If the court accepts the recommendations, it would be the end of the road for the existing office-bearers —acting president CK Khanna, acting secretary Amitabh Choudhary and treasurer Anirudh Chaudhry —as also the IPL chairman Rajeev Shukla.
The status report also mentioned that the existing cricket board office-bearers’ respective three-year terms have expired, while saying that fresh elections could be conducted even without formally adopting the new BCCI constitution. It added that the persons “consciously guilty of non-compliance” shouldn’t be given the “benefit of an extended tenure”.
The latest status report came at a time, when the relationship between the CoA and the BCCI office-bearers is seemingly frayed. They don’t see eye-to-eye on many subjects, including the new player contracts.Quoting the existing BCCI constitution, the CoA has said the BCCI AGM “shall be held every year, not later than 30th September”. The cricket board’s 87th AGM was held on September 21, 2016 followed by a lull, ostensibly because of the ongoing legal wrangles over the implementation of the Lodha recommendations.
“As a consequence, the audited statement of accounts for the financial year ending March 31, 2017 along with auditor’s report are yet to be adopted even as the next financial year (ending March 31, 2018) is drawing to a close,” the status report said, adding: “In light of the aforesaid, there is a need to conduct the 88th AGM of BCCI at the earliest so that the audited statement of accounts for the financial year ending March 31, 2017 along with auditor’s report can be adopted.”
The CoA has pointed out that the term of the current office-bearers and vice-presidents has expired on March 1, 2018 – a period of three years from the date on which they were elected. Then, citing the Supreme Court’s January 2, 2017 order, the status report said: “… if the respective terms of senior-most Vice-President and the Joint secretary have expired, they cannot continue to perform the duties of the President and Secretary respectively.”
As for fresh elections, the report said“…it would be in the fitness of things if this Hon’ble Court directs that elections may be conducted in terms of the recommendations of the Lodha Committee even as this Hon’ble Court continues to consider the New BCCI Constitution in terms of the order dated July 24, 2017.”
Regarding the IPL Governing Council and its chairman, the status report has mentioned that the extended term expired on September 20, 2017, creating a need to elect a new GC and other BCCI standing committees. The removal of the current office-bearers has been particularly stressed upon towards the end. The status report has also requested for interim direction for the appointment of an Electoral Officer.
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