BCCI calls for Special General Meeting on October 15

NEW DELHI: The BCCI has called for a Special General Meeting on October 15 to discuss the interim order passed by the Supreme Court on Lodha Panel recommendations ahead of the next hearing on October 17.

It will be a second SGM called by the BCCI in the last two weeks. In the last meeting, the Board had decided to implement the Lodha committee's recommendations in part excluding the contentious ones such as a three-year cooling off period for office-bearers, one state one vote and an age cap of 70 for the administrators.

In the interim order passed by the Supreme Court on Friday, it was stated that BCCI was far from lending its full cooperation to Lodha committee which has suggested sweeping reforms in the cricket Board.

The Court is likely to pass the final order on October 17.

"The sequence of events that have taken place since 18th July, 2016 and referred to in the status report Porrima facie give an impression that BCCI has far from lending its fullest cooperation to the Committee adopted an obstructionist and at times a defiant attitude which the Committee has taken note of and described as an impediment undermining not only the Committee but even the dignity of this Court with several statements and actions which according to the Committee are grossly out of order and may even constitute contempt," the interim order stated.

On Friday, the Court also directed the BCCI that it should not disburse any funds to state cricket bodies till they agree to the reforms specified by the Lodha Committee.

A bench of Chief Justice T.S. Thakur, A.M. Khanwilkar and D.Y. Chandrachud, cracking the whip on the BCCI for defying the Lodha Committee's reforms route map, said the state units must file affidavits promising to abide by the recommendations in "letter and spirit".

The committee, headed by retired chief justice R.M. Lodha, had made a raft of suggestions, most of which were accepted by the Supreme Court on July 18. But the BCCI has cited technical issues to avoid implementing the changes.

The court also directed BCCI president Anurag Thakur to explain an allegation that he had asked the International Cricket Council to say that implementation of the reforms would amount to governmental interference and lead to BCCI's disqualification from international cricket.