Not sparing a penny for the development of cricket in 11 states across the country while spending crores of rupees on select cricket boards made the Supreme Court on Tuesday to observe that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) had become a "mutually beneficial society" practically corrupting cricket boards and doing nothing to promote the game in the country.
A bench of Chief Justice TS Thakur and Justice FM Ibrahim Kalifulla on examination of the spending profile of BCCI given in an affidavit filed by the Board saw that several state boards received an annual fund ranging between Rs 50 crore to Rs 60 crore towards development of cricket infrastructure. Since the BCCI has dominant presence of three cricket boards each from Gujarat and Maharashtra, the Court observed that there was no rationale for equitable distribution of funds to every state.
For instance, the three full time members of Maharashtra namely Vidharba Cricket Association with 16 districts, Maharashtra Cricket Association and Mumbai Cricket Association, each received a minimum annual contribution of Rs 50 crore on infrastructure development, amounting to Rs 150 crore annually. Similar was the case with Gujarat which has three full time members — Baroda Cricket Association, Saurashtra Cricket Association, and Gujarat Cricket Association. Even a small state such as Goa was entitled to Rs 60 crore annual fund.
Noting the unfair distribution, the bench said, "Out of 29 states, 11 states are getting not a single penny paid while you are releasing such huge amounts to states like Gujarat on what basis. You are leaving this amount to their wish, practically corrupting them by demanding no account."
BCCI's senior advocate KK Venugopal said that the criteria for release of funds depended on the level of cricketing activity by the Board and the availability of a stadium. The bench asked, "Goa gets Rs 50 crore and they don't have a stadium. You pay them for whatIJ" It further drew a comparison between Goa and Bihar. "In Bihar there is a stadium and two cricket associations and yet you have not paid them a penny. You give Rs 60 crore to Goa and neglect Bihar. Your mandate is to develop cricket in the country and not just in Mumbai or Gujarat or Punjab alone. Other parts of the country also love the sport but you have made it (BCCI) a mutual beneficial society."
The disparity was visible even in the treatment meted out to affiliate members. Venugopal told the Court that affiliate members were introduced in year 2009 and it was decided to give them annually Rs 50 lakh. States of Meghalaya, Nagaland, and Arunachal Pradesh receive this fund annually, he added. The bench said, "Even Chhattisgarh is an affiliate member. It receives Rs 1.37 crore annually on what basis."
With questions being raised on BCCI's affairs, senior advocate Ashok Desai appearing for a member cricket body said that lodha Committee recommendations has far exceeded the mandate of restructuring cricket by trying to change BCCI's composition. The bench replied, "All that the Committee has said is to remove certain people entrenched in managing the game. It has not recommended there should be seven balls in an over or four wickets instead of three." The bench will continue hearing on Friday.