CHENNAI: When electoral officer N Gopalaswami releases on Thursday the final list of associations that will attend the BCCI’s annual general meeting on October 23, the names of Tamil Nadu and Haryana are likely to be missing. Found non-compliant by the CoA, both are expected to move Supreme Court once it reopens on October 13.
The CoA has taken this drastic step after a war of words, which saw these two units question the court-appointed panel’s authority to exercise such powers. The CoA told the associations that they would lose voting rights if they didn’t amend their constitution fully along the prescribed lines. Tamil Nadu and Haryana have maintained that differences are not significant and that the CoA had no right to rule an unit non-compliant or bar it from voting on such grounds.
“According to a Supreme Court order dated January 2, 2017, the CoA can adopt all steps to implement Lodha recommendations. That explains if we’ve the authority or not,” a CoA member told this daily. “When it comes to compliance, Tamil Nadu and Haryana have not fallen in line despite repeated reminders. They stay out of the electoral roll, which means they can’t attend the AGM. There’s no question of voting either.”
The Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA) has written to the CoA, saying that it doesn’t have the authority to bar a full member from attending the AGM. The Haryana Cricket Associations (HCA) has maintained an identical stand. There are neutrals in the board too, who see reason in what these two have been claiming.
However, with the CoA standing firm and the final electoral list likely to exclude TNCA and HCA, this is set to reach the apex court. "We received CoA’s communication today. Under the circumstances, going to Supreme Court is obvious. If we see our unit is not on the list, we will seek legal recourse when the court opens," said a TNCA official. Nobody from HCA could be contacted, although an association source had said the same last week.
The CoA too expects TNCA and HCA to go to court. "We are implementing the reforms on behalf of the Supreme Court. If someone goes to court, we can’t stop them. But they must realise that we are authorised to take necessary steps," said the CoA member.
Maharashtra barred too
It has been learnt that the Maharashtra Cricket Association would be barred from attending the AGM. According to unofficial sources, they have been disqualified for irregularities in its constitution and polls.