A three-member panel constituted by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Government to look into the alleged irregularities in the Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) has recommended suspension of the national Capital’s cricket administrator by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and appointment of an interim committee of professional cricketers to replace it.
It has also suggested that the DDCA be brought within the ambit of the Right to Information Act and a commission of enquiry should be set up to probe various irregularities, including alleged financial bungling in the DDCA. According to the committee, the DDCA comes under the Prevention of Corruption Act as it is performing public functions and should be able to withstand the test of accountability, fairness, probity and transparency in all its activities.
The panel is said to have recently apprised BCCI chief Shashank Manohar of the functioning of the DDCA. The panel in its report submitted to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, has also recommended that the DDCA, which is responsible for promotion and development of cricket in the city should be managed primarily by cricketers.
The probe committee’s report has nothing to do with the proposed India-South Africa match at Feroz Shah Kotla in the first week of December.
The 237-page report, a copy of which is with The Pioneer, came on a day when the DDCA was struggling to meet the BCCI’s deadline to get all required clearances from authorities by Tuesday (November 17) in order to host the fourth Test Match between India and South Africa in December.
While the DDCA reportedly owes the Delhi Government Rs 24 crores as Entertainment Tax, it is said to have just Rs 3 crore in its coffers.
later in the evening, the AAP Government said it had received the panel’s report and had decided to put the same in public domain. A statement issued by the Department of Information & Publicity said: “The Government is currently examining this report and will soon decide the course of action based on the findings of the committee.”
The statement said that the “Government makes it clear that the ongoing matter regarding the India-South Africa Test Match is not in any way related to this probe report, nor was it the issue before the enquiry committee, which has now submitted its report.”
The statement said: “It is unfortunate that some vested interests made a desperate attempt to link the probe into DDCA’s wrongdoings and financial irregularities with the hosting of the Test Match in Delhi. The Delhi Government cannot interfere in the proceedings before tax authorities, who are performing their quasi-judicial functions, and any attempt to link the Government to the DDCA’s tax issues is clearly false and misleading.”
In its report the panel said, “The BCCI, being a parent body governing cricket in India, has recognized DDCA as the exclusive association for promoting, developing and managing cricket in Delhi. Therefore, the BCCI cannot continue to have a hands-off approach and should suspend DDCA according to the Memorandum and Rules and Regulations of the BCCI as per Regulation 32 (VII) and streamline the administration of the DDCA. In the interim, professional cricketers should manage the affairs of cricket in Delhi.”
A committee member said on condition of anonymity that during the probe, they were informed that the DDCA did not provide water to the players in the Ranji Trophy season and cricketers were made to play with old balls. The DDCA has also not paid match fees for a couple of years and several players have moved to other States due to mismanagement. Also, it has no money to pay umpires, scorers and players and suppliers are not willing to give anything to the DDCA due to lack of funds.
The panel has recommended to the Government to consider appointing a Commission of Enquiry to probe various wrongdoings among other related issues against the DDCA.
The report said: “The DDCA holds monopoly over the affairs of arguably the most popular sport in Delhi, including selection of Delhi State team. It is performing public functions and should be able to withstand the test of accountability, fairness, probity and transparency in all its activities. Its office-bearers are therefore subject to the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 like public servants by the vigilance apparatus of the GNCT of Delhi.”
The panel also mentioned that the Justice lodha Committee was formed by the Supreme Court (SC) to suggest amendments to the process followed by the BCCI with a view to prevent sporting fraud and conflict of interest and also to streamline the Board’s working.
It said: “Considering the large number of allegations against the DDCA, it is recommended that the Delhi Government should request the SC to have Justice lodha Committee advise streamlining of the DDCA’s working.”
The report said that the DDCA was substantially funded, directly or indirectly, by the Government and it should be brought under the ambit of the RTI Act at the earliest so that people come to know how players are selected and what basic facilities are made available to them.