Supreme Court adjourns plea hearing for BCCI to allow its constitution amendment
BCCI had sought a plea at the Supreme Court to allow an amendment to its constitution. The SC has adjourned the hearing regarding the same.
FollowOn Wednesday, the Supreme Court adjourned the hearing on the Board of Control for Cricket in India's (BCCI's) plea for seeking to amend its constitution concerning the tenure of its office bearers, which includes reigning BCCI President Sourav Ganguly and Secretary Jay Shah. The bench that comprised Chief Justice NV Ramana, along with Justice Krishna Murari and Hima Kohli, deferred the hearing till Thursday after senior advocate Harish Salve, who appeared for the BCCI, sought adjournment. The Bihar Cricket Association (BCA) counsel said that office bearers continue in office after their terms have ended technically.
"Tomorrow! One day, nothing will happen! What is the hurry?" the bench was quoted as saying. Also present was BJP leader Subramanian Swamy, who sought to implead himself. Earlier, the court had agreed to an urgent hearing to list the plea of the BCCI. The cricket body aims to amend its constitution about the tenure of its office bearers.
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Senior advocate PS Patwalia, who appeared for the BCCI, had said that the application was filled a couple of years ago, and the direction was given by the court to list the matter after a couple of weeks. "But then, Covid happened, and matter could not be listed. Please list this matter for urgent hearing because amendments to the constitution are in the pipeline for two years now," he had said.
Patwalia had said that the court's earlier order states that the constitutional amendment can only be done with the court's prior permission. Earlier, the Justice RM Lodha-led committee had recommended reforms in the BCCI, which the top court has accepted. As per the recommendations, there should be a three-year cooling-off period for BCCI's office bearers after six years once a post ends at the state cricket association or at the BCCI level.
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The BCCI, in its proposed amendment, has sought the abolition of the cooling-off period for its office bearers. It could enable the BCCI president Ganguly and secretary Shah to continue in their respective roles despite having completed six years at respective state cricket associations.
The constitution of the BCCI, which the top court has approved, stipulates a mandatory three-year cooling-off period for anyone who had served a couple of consecutive terms of three years each in the state cricket association or the BCCI. While Ganguly was an office bearer at the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB), Shah had served at the Gujarat Cricket Association (GCA).
(With inputs from PTI)
