Lodha proposals hearing postponed to April 5

Friday's hearing in the Supreme Court relating to how the BCCI plans to implement the various recommendations proposed by the Lodha Committee in January, has been postponed to April 5. According to the legal counsels involved in the case, as per the supplementary list released by the Supreme Court, they were informed that the bench will not be sitting on Friday. There was no specific reason given for the postponement.

This allows the BCCI a bit more breathing space as it was expected to face further chin music from the two-judge bench of the Supreme Court hearing the case.

At the last hearing, held on March 3, the bench comprising Chief Justice TS Thakur and Justice Ibrahim Kalifullah strongly retorted at every argument raised against the Lodha Committee recommendations by the host of counsels representing the BCCI and various state associations.

Offering minor respite to the BCCI, the court said that it would ascertain whether the objections raised against a few of the recommendations could be entertained. If the bench could not sort it, it said, then it would approach the Lodha Committee to review "very limited points".

When the hearing reopens, the BCCI is likely to present detailed audited accounts statements of the board's disbursement to the states in the last five years. That was one specific demand of the court at the March 3 hearing, as the bench wanted to know how the states had spent the money on development of infrastructure among other things.

*15:45 GMT - This story was updated following the news that the hearing was postponed