After BCCI, other sports bodies in the country have come under the scrutiny of the Supreme Court. On Monday, the apex court issued notice to the Centre on a plea by 28 top former sportspersons and administrators including hockey ace Ashok Kumar (son of Dhyanchand), badminton player Jwala Gutta, and former hockey federation chief KPS Gill, seeking reforms proposed by Justice lodha Committee to be extended to other sports associations as well.
A bench of Chief Justice JS Khehar, Justices NV Ramana and DY Chandrachud issued notice on the PIl and asked advocate PV Venkata Subramanium to appear before the special bench hearing the matter on BCCI reforms.
The sportspersons submitted that the lodha Committee reforms have aimed to introduce transparency and accountability in sports bodies, besides ensuring their professional functioning and participation of players in governance of sports associations. The petitioners urged the Court to consider introducing the recommendations by the panel headed by former CJI in the 2011 National Sports Development Code of India.
The petition, filed in Court by advocate Amit A Pai stated that administration of sports bodies in the country had been hijacked by Ministers, political functionaries and public servants who failed to contribute to the game. There was no accountability and cases of harassment and torture of players by coaches, instructors and sports officials went unpunished.
The petitioners also include Bishan Singh Bedi, Kirti Azad, Ashwini Nachappa, Pravin Thipsay who said, “Sports administration appears to be mired in power play, where money, influence and chicanery play a dominant part and those who had participated in competitive sports at some stage are given token representation at best, or mostly marginalised.”
Referring to the report of the lodha panel, the petition said there was need to introduce an age cap and a limit on tenure by fixing a cooling off period. “It is submitted that these recommendations are salutary in nature and fundamental in achieving the goal of transparency and good governance in the bodies which are the administrators of sports,” the petition said.