The BCCI Friday sought to justify its rejection of accreditation applications from certain photo news agencies for covering the IPL, saying they did not meet accreditation standards as "their primary businesses involved commercial sale and licensing of photographic images".
"BCCI wishes to explain, in line with its existing policies, the decision to not accredit certain categories of entities, i.e., photo news agencies, for coverage of Pepsi IPL 2014, which began on 16 April 2014," the Board said in a release.
"As with other sports bodies internationally, the BCCI processes numerous media accreditation applications it receives after undertaking an evaluation of applicants and their respective organisations. Through the BCCI media accreditation process, photographers nominated by bona fide domestic and international news publications as well as news agencies, including AFP, were duly accredited, for the Pepsi IPL 2014," it said.
"These accredited persons were presented the opportunity by the BCCI to capture and supply an unlimited number of match images for editorial use by their respective publications and agency clients worldwide."
The BCCI said that the primary business of certain applicants involved commercial sale and licensing of standalone photographic images and hence these applications were not approved.
"Certain applicants did not meet the BCCI's accreditation standards on the basis that, in the BCCI's good faith opinion after due evaluation, their primary businesses involved the commercial sale and licensing of standalone photographic images. These applications were not approved, along with the applications of various freelance photojournalists," Board Secretary Sanjay Patel said in the release.
The Board said it "stands by its decision, which is based on the legitimate and bona fide interest of prioritising and limiting stadium access to those persons and entities primarily involved in news reporting activities and, thereby, promoting the public interest in consuming news, images and editorial comment from diverse journalistic sources".
"The BCCI wishes to clarify that it has not placed any restrictions on the number, nature or type of images that can be captured or published by accredited photo journalists from bona fide publications and news agencies. Any failure by accredited photographers to capture images at the venue or refusal by accredited publications to provide photographic or other coverage is purely their own decision.
"The BCCI has been providing images from each day's play to media organisations, for their editorial use, since November 2012 free of charge. It is a facility made available to bona fide media outlets, given the decision by multiple accredited news agencies to not undertake coverage in apparent protest against the rejection of certain accreditation applications. Several media organisations have been using the BCCI's images for editorial purposes since November 2012, and continue to do so for the Pepsi IPL 2014".
Patel said the "BCCI continues to provide accredited access to all bona fide news publications and news agencies who wish to cover international series, and tournaments like the IPL, and it welcomes all accredited media to cover the cricket".