New Delhi: The Supreme Court questioned Friday controversial former cricket administrators N Srinivasan and Niranjan Shah for attending a recent meeting of the BCCI and asked how could persons disqualified by it, be part of any deliberation of the cash-rich body.
“How can a person disqualified by virtue of apex court order be nominated as nominee of state cricket associations and attend the meeting of BCCI,” a bench headed by Justice Dipak Misra said. The bench, which also comprised Justices AM Khanwilkar and DY Chandrachud, issued notices to Srinivasan and Shah seeking their responses to hear them July 24, when they will also go into the fourth status report filed by Committee of Administrators (CoA) headed by former CAG Vinod Rai.
In the fourth status report submitted by the CoA, Srinivasan and Shah have been described as ‘disqualified office-bearers with vested interest’, who were trying to stall the implementation of Lodha reforms.
The applications moved by the apex court-appointed CoA complained that the two veterans who were disqualified were present as nominees of Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA)
and Saurashtra Cricket Association (SCA) respectively, at the June 26 special general meeting (SGM) of the BCCI.
Both Srinivasan and Shah were disqualified from becoming office-bearers of BCCI or state cricket bodies as they fell under the category of debarment for either having conflict of interest or attaining the age of 70 years, as per Justice RM Lodha-led panel recommendation which were accepted by the apex court.
Senior advocate Gopal Subramanium, who is assisting the court as amicus curiae in the matter, informed that two members of the COA – Ramachandra Guha and Vikram Limaye – have tendered their resignation from the post of administrators of the BCCI. The apex court accepted the resignations and relieved the two. Guha
Subramanium suggested six names for filling up the post of administrators fallen vacant after these resignations but the apex court sought suggestions from senior counsels like solicitor general Ranjit Kumar, Kapil Sibal and others appearing for various parties in the matter in 10 days in a sealed cover, to be considered September 5.
The fourth status report said, “The SGM June 26 was attended by various persons who are disqualified from being office bearers of BCCI and/or their respective state/member associations including N Srinivasan (represented TNCA) and Niranjan Shah (SCA) amongst others.
“Such disqualified persons have a vested interest in stalling implementation of judgement because if the judgement is implemented, such disqualified person will have to relinquish control over their respective state associations.
Tripathi told the bench that a CD has also been annexed with the report to showcase that 30 per cent of the time was consumed by Srinivasan and Shah, who had disrupted the June 26 SGM by ‘trying to hijack’ it and that no consensus was reached on the implementation of Lodha reforms among the state associations.
Press Trust of India