The Supreme Court on Tuesday decided to allow the Board of Control for Cricket in India and the Centre to have a say in appointing Administrators to run the apex cricket body and assist the Justice lodha Committee in implementing the reforms aimed at making the Board's functioning accountable and transparent.
Giving time till Friday to both BCCI and Centre to submit names in a sealed cover, the bench of Justices Dipak Misra, AM Khanwilkar and DY Chandrachud said it will take a call on Monday on the number and names of Administrators to be selected, based on the suggestions given by the Centre, BCCI and a two-member panel formed by Court comprising amicus curiae Gopal Subramanium and senior advocate Anil Divan. All suggestions must be clear of the disqualifications laid down by lodha panel, the bench said.
When the counsel for the petitioner (Cricket Association of Bihar) and other state cricket associations wished to suggest names, the bench refused and said that the purpose to invite suggestions was to introduce "transparency and objectivity" in the selection.
Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi who represented Railways, Services of Army, Navy and Air Force, and Association of Indian Universities, said that no person chosen as Administrator should be above 70 years as they would equally incur disqualification as per lodha Committee reforms that put an age cap of 70 years for Board members and a nine-year cap on tenure served in BCCI or state cricket bodies. The bench assured BCCI and Centre that no member above 70 years will be selected as Administrator. In a related relief, the bench also allowed BCCI to submit a list of three persons of which one could be sent as a nominee of BCCI to participate in a meeting held by ICC from Feb 2-4. The names will be supplied in a separate sealed cover to the Court by Friday.