Supreme Court directs BCCI to re-admit Bihar for all tournaments

The Supreme Court directed the Indian cricket Board on Tuesday to include Bihar state teams in all BCCI tournaments from the new season starting in September.

The court passed the order while hearing a contempt plea filed against senior board officials, including acting secretary Amitabh Choudhary and CEO Rahul Johri, by Aditya Verma of Cricket Association of Bihar (CAB) on April 20 for ignoring an earlier court directive.

Verma’s contempt petition came in the wake of BCCI not including Bihar for domestic tournaments that took place last season after the Supreme Court had asked it to include the state, which last played in the Ranji Trophy in 2003 before its isolation in the wake of in-fighting followed by BCCI’s disaffiliation.

BCCI told the court Bihar was not included for tournaments like Vijay Hazare Trophy (one-day competition) last season as there were two rival claimants for running the state unit -- CAB and Bihar Cricket Association (BCA).

Amicus curiae Gopal Subramanium told the court the dispute would be solved later but aspiring cricketers should not be affected any longer. The bench headed by CJI Dipak Mishra issued orders that from the season starting in September, while the dispute in Bihar cricket is resolved, Bihar state teams will play all BCCI tournaments.

“We are happy with the court order, it is a relief. We have in fact been asking BCCI to at least appoint an ad hoc body to run Bihar cricket so that players are not affected and unscrupulous elements don’t take advantage, Verma said.

On reforms in BCCI, state units and office-bearers were asked to give suggestions to the amicus curiae on the draft constitution to be approved by the Apex court, ahead of its next hearing on May 11. While the new statute would be binding on BCCI, the court clarified that its order on petitions seeking recall of the 2016 verdict would deal with the validity of the draft constitution.

The court also directed Maharashtra Cricket Association, represented by Additional Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, to postpone Wednesday’s election. The court-appointed Committee of Administrators (CoA) had recommended bringing the state unit under administrators as the new constitution does not adhere to the Justice Lodha panel directives.