Anurag Thakur may have to quit, power equations set to change

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court’s acceptance of most major recommendations made by the Lodha committee on the overhaul of the Indian cricket board could mean that its president Anurag Thakur may have to step down, besides altering power equations.

One of Lodha committee’s recommendations is that individuals who have been charge-sheeted cannot hold an office in the Board of Control for Cricket in India ( BCCI), and Thakur, who is also a BJP MP, was charge-sheeted in a corruption case in his home state Himachal Pradesh in 2014.

“Thakur should resign after this Supreme Court judgment,” said Aditya Verma, secretary of the so far unrecognised Cricket Association of Bihar, who had moved the court over the Indian Premier League betting and spot-fixing case.

The Supreme Court on Monday asked BCCI to implement Lodha panel recommendations including one state one vote, barring ministers and IAS officers from the board, age cap of 70 for its officials, a CAG member within BCCI, setting up of a players’ association, and one person one post in cricket administration within six months, sending shockwaves across the system.

“This is a shakeup. It is a huge step forward,” said Rahul Mehra, a Delhi-based lawyer who has taken BCCI to court in the past.

Experts said implementation of the one state one vote rule could demolish old power centres. “So far, seven votes came from just two states. That’s a huge chunk and whoever controlled those had the upper hand. One state one vote means a total overhaul of the electoral college of BCCI,” said Kirti Azad, former cricketer turned politician.


“Large states like Bihar had no representation. The north east of India was not represented. Now including them will make ahuge difference. It will destroy the power centres that have existed for so many years,” he said.

The age cap of 70 would mean many like Mumbai Cricket Association president Sharad Pawar, who is 75, cannot hold office anymore. A similar fate awaits Saurashtra Cricket Association secretary Niranjan Shah and Punjab Cricket Association officials MP Pandove and IS Bindra.

The oneman one-post rule means people like Amitabh Chaudhary, who is a BCCI joint secretary and president of Jharkhand State Cricket Association, would have to give up one post.

Ajay Shirke, who is the BCCI secretary and President of Maharashtra Cricket Association has already said that he will quit as MCA secretary. Advocate Mehra said while these changes are good for the game, bringing BCCI under the Right to Information Act should not have been left to the Parliament.

“If so many other recommendations have been agreed on to bring in transparency, why not also bring BCCI under RTI in one stroke to ensure 100 per cent transparency?” he said.

“Especially when all other sports federations are under RTI already.” The Lodha Committee had suggestied sweeping reforms within BCCI. The Indian cricket board opposed many of the suggestions in its reply to the Supreme Court when hearing started in March. The court, however, has now asked the board to “fall in line”.