Cricket body must stop confronting apex court
After having tried every legal trick in the book, including defiance couched in helplessness, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has been left with no alternative but to comply with the Supreme Court's order of July 18, directing it to implement the Justice RM lodha panel's recommendations. The court has hit where it hurts the Board most — in money matters. Since the BCCI said it was left to the State cricket associations affiliated to it, to follow the lodha roadmap, the apex court asked it to turn off funds to them in case they fail to do so. The apex court's stern mood ought to have been evident to the BCCI weeks ago, when the Bench pulled up the Board for failing to implement the various reforms the court-mandated lodha panel had put forth. The court had brushed aside arguments of technicality and impracticality the country's premier cricket body had forwarded, and made it known that it was not amused by the dilly-dallying tactics. The BCCI made matters worse for itself by appointing former Supreme Court judge Markandey Katju to advise it on the way ahead. Justice Katju, true to his image, launched a verbal fusillade against the apex court, even questioning its locus standi in deciding such matters. Soon, a purely legal tussle took the shape of one of a battle of egos.
The BCCI found it hard to digest that it was being made answerable and the halo around it was being dissolved. The Board's stand has support across party lines, since senior leaders of various parties are either associated with it at the State level or are office-bearers of the BCCI. But the political heft clearly did not impress the Supreme Court. It will be interesting to see how the politicians respond. Will they come together to bring in an Ordinance to neutralise the court's directives or will they follow the court's instructions. The latter is surely the more sensible way out. It is unlikely that the Union Government, already keen on lowering the conflict with the judiciary over the appointment of judges through the Collegium system, will wade into another confrontation. Besides, as the Government in power, it cannot be seen as undermining the dignity of the judiciary.
There is really no reason why the BCCI shouldn't reform, both administratively and structurally (remember, it had promised to do so only months ago). The court hasn't, after all, sought its dismemberment, that senior officials of the BCCI should be so alarmed and dig in their heels. Issues like ‘one State one vote' and guidelines on the appointment and the continuation of office-bearers have been adequately dealt with by the apex court Bench. The BCCI also got more than sufficient time to implement the reforms, but the will was missing. The Board ended up building a level of distrust, so much so that the Supreme Court on Friday, while directing it to stop funds to State associations that defied reforms, asked BCCI chief Anurag Thakur to furnish a personal affidavit detailing if he had petitioned the International Cricket Council saying the Justice lodha panel's appointment amounted to an interference in the Board's internal functioning. While there isn't much the BCCI can do now to undo the damage to its image, as a face-saver it can at least follow the court's directive.