CHENNAI: Following the royal snub delivered by the Supreme Court Thursday in its order to the two-member Committee of Administrators - chairman Vinod Rai and Diana Edulji - the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA) on Friday issued a strong riposte to the CoA's threat to de-recognise the upcoming Tamil Nadu Premier League.
The CoA had issued an advisory on Thursday in which it warned TNCA from allowing players from other states to take part in the TNPL starting July 11, stating that it violates article 28 (b) of the existing constitution.
The TNCA, after its meeting Friday, sent a strongly-worded letter in the name of the association's joint secretary RI Palani.
“The advisory exhibit a complete and utter disregard of the interests of players who would be deprived of an opportunity to earn a living and would perhaps lose a valuable opportunity to showcase their talents to the world,” the TNCA wrote in its five-page letter. “It is unfathomable how the Committee can countenance such a stand that runs counter to its stated guiding principle of upholding the interests of the primary stakeholders of the Game of Cricket, the players and the public.”
Further, the TNCA said the tournament, slated to start on July 11, cannot be declared unapproved since it has taken the permission of the acting president and the acting secretary besides complying with the decisions of the SGM, against which the Supreme Court did not pass any order. “In no way can the TNPL be deemed to be an Unapproved Tournament and the BCCI is called upon to withdraw its threat to treat it as such,” the letter states.
"The regulations of the BCCI provide that members of BCCI are not required to seek approval for conducting tournaments within its territorial jurisdiction unless the tournament involves players from outside such jurisdiction."
"We have indicated several instances, in our earlier letters, of players representing one member for BCCI Tournaments and the same players participating in tournaments organized by other members provided that the members inter se had no objection. BCCI's approval was never required or sought in any of those instances."
Mumbai Mirror reports that TNCA officials have indicated to that if there are further ‘obstructions’ from the CoA, it will take legal recourse.
Coming back to Thursday's order from the three-Judge Bench headed by Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra, it reads:
"Heard learned counsel for the parties on the draft Constitution of the Board of Control for Cricket in India and the suggestions given...
"Order is reserved exclusively on the question of finalisation of the draft Constitution which this Court shall finalise after perusal of the draft Constitution, suggestions of the learned Amicus Curiae, suggestions given by the learned counsel for the parties and the submissions advanced on that score...
"As an interim measure, it is directed that as we are going to finalise the draft Constitution, no High Court shall entertain any prayer with regard to the appointment of any Administrator hereinafter on the basis of the communication sent by the Committee of Administrators. It is further directed that no election shall be held hereinafter...
"Let these matters be listed after two weeks."
As Telegraph India notes, what has caught attention is the following: "... no High Court shall entertain any prayer... on the basis of the communication sent by the Committee of Administrators."
The CoA had sent a lengthy email to "Dear Member State Associations" in the latter half of May.
It included: "Where the termenure of the current office-bearers of a state association is over and/or elections are due, the concerned Hon'ble High Court may be approached either by the said state association itself and/or any member thereof for the appointment of an Administrator to administer the affairs of the said state association pending elections."
To add to Rai and Edulji's embarrassment, the Supreme Court has not acted on any of the nine status reports filed by the CoA till now.
What this appears to indicate is that till the apex court hears the matter in two weeks and delivers its verdict after that, the CoA is effectively "reined in". Or so it would seem.
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