NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court has directed the Indian cricket board on Tuesday to include Bihar state teams in all BCCI tournaments from the new season starting in September.
The Bench headed by Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra also asked state cricket associations and BCCI office bearers to give their suggestions on the draft constitution for the apex cricket body, to be approved by it, before May 11.
However, the Bench, also comprising Justices AM Khanwilkar and DY Chandrachud, while making clear that the draft constitution would be binding on the BCCI, further clarified that its order on petitions seeking recall of its 2016 verdict would also deal with the validity of said draft constitution.
The CoA had in October last year filed a draft constitution of the BCCI incorporating suggestions of the Justice RM Lodha panel on reforms in the cash-rich cricket body.
The top court had said the draft constitution should include the suggestions of the Lodha committee in its entirety so that a holistic document can be placed before it for a final decision. It had approved the Lodha panel’s recommendations like ‘one state, one vote’, ‘one member, one post’ and fixing a 70-year age-cap on those occupying BCCI posts.
The Court, however, hinted that it may have a relook at the one-state, one-vote recommendation, which had led to loss of membership of voting rights to bodies like Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA), Cricket Club of India (CCI), Vidarbha Cricket Association, Baroda Cricket Association and Saurashtra Cricket Association, Indian Express reports.
The proposal which was accepted by the SC said a state would have only one cricket association, having full time membership and voting rights in the BCCI.
The Bench said that there was no need to review the policy vis-a-vis north-east but the case of states like Maharashtra and Gujarat may be different.
Bihar can field teams
The Bench passed its order on Bihar teams in domestic tournaments while hearing a contempt plea filed against senior board officials by Aditya Verma, secretary of the unrecognised Cricket Association of Bihar (CAB) on April 20 for ignoring an earlier court directive.
Verma’s contempt petition came in the wake of BCCI not including Bihar for domestic tournaments that took place last season after the Supreme Court had asked it to include the state, which last played in the Ranji Trophy in 2003 before its isolation in the wake of in-fighting followed by BCCI’s disaffiliation, Hindustan Times reports.
The BCCI told the Court Bihar was not included for tournaments like Vijay Hazare Trophy (one-day competition) last season as there were two rival claimants for running the state unit – CAB and Bihar Cricket Association (BCA).
Amicus curiae Gopal Subramanium told the court the dispute would be solved later but aspiring cricketers should not be affected any longer. The Bench issued orders that from the season starting in September, while the dispute in Bihar cricket is resolved, Bihar state teams will play all BCCI tournaments.
“We are happy with the court order, it is a relief. We have in fact been asking BCCI to at least appoint an ad hoc body to run Bihar cricket so that players are not affected and unscrupulous elements don’t take advantage, HT qotes Verma as having said.
Maharashtra to postpone polls
With the BCCI constitution pending final approval of the court, the Bench also asked the Maharashtra Cricket Association to postpone its election scheduled for Wednesday as the states may also have to rejig their rules in tune with the changes in the BCCI constitution.
