Supreme court bars judges as observers

Ranbir Singh Mahendra: not all court rulings have benefited his faction © Getty Images Enlarge

The supreme court on Monday ruled in favour of appointing any eminent person other than a judge as observer for elections to the Board of Control for Cricket in India. This follows a series of turnarounds by the Calcutta High Court on the matter, which has affected the image of various retired legal luminaries.

The Kolkata court had first appointed a former justice as the sole observer for the board's election. Thereafter, responding to a petition challenging this order, it appointed two more retired judges, only to retract in less than 24 hours and uphold its original ruling.

"The parties could get together and suggest the name of an observer, preferably not a judge, for the BCCI election," the Press Trust of India quoted a supreme court bench comprising Justice S B Sinha and Justice R V Raveendran. The bench was hearing petitions challenging the Calcutta High Court judgment staying the appointment of two former chief justices of India as observers for the board elections.

The high court had removed former justices K N Singh and M M Punchi as observers, retaining only Justice Suhas C Sen to oversee the board elections.

The supreme court said the concerned parties could suggest the name of a former cricketer as an observer. The bench has also allowed the board the option of filing a reply to the contentions raised by the cricket associations of Rajasthan and Bihar and the Netaji Cricket Club, Chennai, who have sought the quashing of the September 23 verdict of the high court.

The supreme court has posted the matter for further hearing on October 18. Fali Nariman appeared on behalf of the state cricket associations, while K K Venugopal, Soli Sorabjee and A M Singhvi were the board's lawyers.

Earlier, on September 27, a bench headed by R C Lahoti, chief justice of India, had declined to grant an early hearing on the matter. "It [the board elections] is only a fight of ego," the bench had observed.