Lodha to file report in SC over 'impediments' in implementing reforms

Taking a tough stance on the BCCI's defiance of its recommendations, the Lodha Committee today said it will file a status report with the Supreme Court of India, highlighting the "impediments" in the implementation of its proposed reforms.

The Supreme Court-appointed panel today held an internal meeting in Delhi to discuss the violations, specifically the election of a secretary and the appointment of a five-member selection committee by the BCCI at its Annual General Meeting on September 21.

"The session was about the developments and the decisions taken by the BCCI in its AGM on September 21," Justice RM Lodha, who leads the panel, said. "[We] have decided to send the report to the Supreme Court. If there are any impediments in implementation of the recommendations, the committee will submit a status report. We are submitting the status report because the committee finds that there are impediments."

The Lodha panel had recommended a set of sweeping reforms for the BCCI, including restricting the tenure of office bearers, introducing a cooling-off period for administrators, cutting down the present five-member selection panel to three, and employing the "one state, one vote" policy, among others.

The Lodha panel was formed by the Supreme Court in the wake of the 2013 IPL spot-fixing and betting scandal. In its report to the Supreme Court, the panel had suggested several changes in reforming the BCCI.

After the court approved the proposals, the panel had set the BCCI two deadlines - September 30 to make constitutional changes, and December 15 for the board to form a nine-member apex committee that will replace the working committee, the BCCI's highest decision-making body.

The BCCI has called for a Special General Meeting (SGM) on September 30 to consider the amendments to the rules and regulations of the board, as recommended by the Lodha Committee.