Former vice-president of the Jharkhand State Cricket Association (JSCA) Praveen Singh may gain immensely in the ongoing tussle between the BCCI and the Supreme Court.
If recommendations of the apex court appointed lodha panel are going to be implemented as per the deadline in JSCA and constitution of the State’s cricket governing body persists, Praveen Singh is the only face who fits the bill for the president’s post.
It is learnt that the JSCA, in its Deoghar annual general body meeting called in 2015, had made eight amendments to the JSCA constitution, including redefining the criteria for the post of president. It says that a person having served for minimum five years in an affiliated district cricket association and remained an office bearer in the State level committee ever can only contest for the coveted post.
“Based on this rule which stands at present Praveen Singh is the only person who qualifies for the JSCA president post. Since the governing body in place at present cannot and should not alter with the rules and guidelines in place in the light of the lodha panel ongoing reform measures, he has emerged as a clear contestant,” said a senior office bearer of JSCA.
Singh has been associated with lohardaga district cricket association for long and had served as vice-president in the JSCA between 2006 and 2010. Notably, the lodha Committee makes it clear that office bearers, across the BCCI and state associations, who have completed nine years in the job cumulatively, stand disqualified and cannot contest for another term. There will be a mandatory cooling off period after each term.
Therefore, no office-bearer can hold office consecutively in a row making it imminent upon JSCA boss Amitabh Chaudhary, the official website still names him as president, to make way for a new face. The former IPS officer has been holding the top post for the last 14 years. Vice-president Sanjay Singh has been removed from the post while another vice-president Manoj Kumar has resigned.
As per the recommendation of the lodha panel, the JSCA has to file an affidavit with the Supreme Court making its stand clear on the recommendations made. If the affirmation nodding to the recommendations does not come within the stipulated timeframe, sources say, affiliation of the State cricket board with BCCI itself will be in danger.
Highly placed sources quipped that looking all these possibilities, Singh had, a couple of days back, met Amitabh Chaudhary. What transpired in the meeting is not clear but it is learnt that Chaudhary has been requested not to take any mischievous step which can harm larger interest of cricket in the State.
“He cannot alter with the rules framed for the election of JSCA president when the existing governing body is lame duck in nature and the time is so turbulent. It would send out a wrong signal and may also open litigation routes,” he added.
With all the eyes on January 19 deadline, it is quite likely that the Supreme Court appoints administrators for JSCA as well in order to conduct cricketing affairs in Jharkhand and most importantly to oversee fresh election as per the reforms advocated by the panel. In the light of a previous order all the elections in the State cricket boards were freezed.