'Committee of administrators should be in charge of IPL'

The Supreme Court is likely to finalise a committee of administrators to run the BCCI on Tuesday, and amicus curiae Gopal Subramanium has asked for this committee to be given the power to run the IPL, appoint the board's representative to ICC meetings and take over non-compliant state associations.

There has been a leadership vacuum in the BCCI since January 2, when the court removed Anurag Thakur and Ajay Shirke as president and secretary. The court said that it would appoint a committee of administrators to oversee the board's operations until fresh elections are conducted and its constitution amended as per the Lodha Committee's recommendations.

Subramanium filed an intervention application in the court last Wednesday, in which he said it was important and urgent to empower the committee "to allay any misgivings that cricketing activities will be affected due to transition in the administrative structure" of BCCI and the state associations.

"The reliefs are emergent and necessary to assist and empower the Committee of Administrators to carry out the mandate of this Hon'ble Court and effectively discharge the onerous responsibility placed on them to ensure that the reforms are implemented in its letter and spirit."

Subramanium asked the court to issue "a direction that the Committee of Administrators shall also be in charge of IPL and may appoint advisors as they deem necessary; an injunction restricting any person, groups of persons, association(s), State Cricket Association(s) from interfering in the functions of the Committee of Administrators; a direction empowering the Committee of Administrators to nominate any member to represent BCCI in the forthcoming ICC Conferences."

Additionally, Subramanium wanted the committee of administrators to take control of all state associations that have not complied with the Lodha Committee's recommendations. Some of them are still holding out despite the court's orders in October limiting their financial freedom. Subramanium added more pressure by asking, "upon the office bearers of State Cricket Associations not filing an undertaking in accordance with the orders dated 7.10.2016 and 21.10.2016, the Committee of the Administrators shall be in charge of such State Cricket Association(s) including its properties until freshly elected bodies are in place."

Another significant plea from Subramanium concerned the reinstatement of the Lodha Committee's authority.

In its January 2 order, the court had agreed to a request by the Lodha Committee to limit their purview to "overall policy and direction". But a week later, the Lodha Committee answered a list of frequently asked questions on who could become a BCCI office bearer. Kapil Sibal, the senior legal counsel who has been representing BCCI and some of the state associations, asked the court on January 20 whether the Lodha Committee was eligible to reply to those FAQs. The court told Sibal it would address the matter in due course.

To counter such doubts, Subramanium wanted the court to restore the Lodha Committee's powers: "…A direction that the mandate of the Justice Lodha Committee to complete oversight, implementation and issuing directions if necessary in terms of the judgement dated 18.7.2016 shall continue in addition to the administration of BCCI and implementation of the reforms by the Committee of Administrators and, liberty be granted to the Committee of Administrators to seek guidance and directions from the Justice Lodha Committee and if necessary to apply to the Hon'ble Supreme Court for directions through the Amicus Curiae."