CHENNAI: There was confusion on the BCCI tenure issue after the Supreme Court, in its January 2 order, said that someone would be ineligible if ‘he/she has been office bearers of the BCCI for a cumulative period of nine years’. That was initially interpreted to mean that administrators of State units can become a BCCI office-bearer, even after spending nine years in their posts. However, this was corrected after Amicus Curiae Gopal Subramaniam pointed it out to the apex court.
“It is cumulative nine years and the recommendation is very clear,” said an official close to the Lodha panel. “That means that someone, who has been an office bearer in a State unit for nine years, cannot continue in the BCCI. But if he/she is just an ordinary member, he can contest elections in the BCCI.” This will make most of the senior officials of BCCI and affiliated units ineligible.
Though most of the recommendations correspond to the National Sports Code, the Lodha panel recommended three terms of three years each and a cooling-off period of three years whereas the NSC suggests three four-year tenures with a cooling-off period of two years. Since BCCI is registered under the TN Societies Registration Act (1975) and their tenure in the constitution is three years.