BCCI babus live in hope that 9 + 9 = 18. Only Supreme Court knows the answer
A ray of hope has emerged from the Supreme court for beleaguered officials of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and its affiliated state cricket associations. In Friday’s proceedings in the apex court, the judges indicated they are open to revisiting their earlier order that a cricket administrator could serve no more than nine years totally whether in the board or its state units.
While reserving their judgement, the special bench of judges Dipak Misra, A M Khanwilkar and D Y Chandrachud said the nine-year maximum they have mandated for an office-bearer of a state cricket association or the BCCI shall not be considered cumulatively, separately.
According to petititoner Aditya Verma the judges spoke about the matter but did not pass an order. The final clarity will come on January 24 when the court will name the panel of administrators who will run the BCCI.
In its January 2 and 3 orders, the Supreme Court had made the Lodha panel reforms recommendations mandatory for the board and its state cricket associations. One of the recos was that a cricket administrator should step aside after serving nine years. State associations appealed against the order, pleading that an officer should be allowed to serve the board for nine more years after serving a state association for nine years – provided he fulfils other conditions.
The BCCI's former legal advisor U N Banerjee wrote to the Lodha panel, arguing that the original order said “or” instead of “or/and” while dealing with the nine-year issue. According to him, the original order allowed a person to have nine years in the state plus nine years in the BCCI.
If the judges uphold this argument on January 24, officials who thought their career in state cricket administration was over can look forward to going to the BCCI – all other conditions still applying.
BCCI members are keeping their fingers crossed. “We'll wait till January 24 and abide by whatever the judgement is. Our argument was that to run the BCCI you need experience, which is gained from working for the state units. If after gathering experience one has to leave, there is no continuity. Nine plus nine means there's some breathing space and room to put in practice what one has learnt from working in the state body,” a member told New Indian Express.
If indeed the judges take that view, joint secretary Amitabh Choudhary and treasurer Anirudh Chaudhry of the board, dismissed by Supreme Court on January 2, can come back to serve the BCCI. Having completed nine years in state bodies, they have a few years left in the board, although both may have to take the cooling-off break.