"We’ll Examine Before Commenting": BCCI VP Rajeev Shukla on National Sports Governance Bill
Synopsis
The BCCI will thoroughly examine the National Sports Governance Bill before commenting on its implications. The bill, to be tabled in Parliament, is expected to bring the BCCI under government oversight.
New Delhi [India], July 23 (ANI): The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) vice-president Rajeev Shukla declared that they will first study the National Sports Governance Bill, which is set to be tabled in Parliament on Wednesday, and only after that will he express his views on it.
Sports Ministry sources revealed on Tuesday that the proposed National Sports Governance Bill 2025, expected to be tabled during the monsoon session of Parliament, will bring the BCCI under its purview. Although the BCCI is not dependent on government funding, its inclusion in the bill was widely expected, particularly given the planned participation of the Indian cricket team in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
Shukla refrained from commenting on the bill before its introduction and told ANI, "We will have to study the bill after it's introduced. Only then can I express my views on it."
Inclusion of BCCI in Bill May Lead to RTI Applicability
The BCCI is registered under the Tamil Nadu Societies Registration Act, 1975. BCCI is responsible for overseeing all aspects of cricket in India, both domestically and internationally. As of now, the BCCI does not fall under the 45 recognised National Sports Federations. If the Indian cricket board falls under the bill's ambit, it could also be subject to the Right to Information (RTI) Act.
Bill Aims at Transparency
Officials said the National Sports Governance Bill will solve problems such as frequent litigation over NSF elections and athlete selections, lack of a dedicated dispute resolution forum, weak or token athlete representation in federations, gender imbalance in sports leadership and no standard electoral process across federations.
They said it will also help tackle financial opacity and poor governance in NSFs, as well as the absence of internal grievance redressal systems. The National Sports Governance Bill aims to establish a legal framework for the transparent and fair operation of sports bodies, making athlete representation mandatory in decision-making processes.
It seeks to bring quick dispute resolution through the Sports Tribunal and ensure fair and transparent elections via the election panel. The government's role will be that of a facilitator, not a controller, the officials said. (ANI)