CUTTACK: The Orissa High Court has sought the stand of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on a petition challenging the indefinite deferment of elections to the Odisha Cricket Association (OCA).
The single judge bench of Justice Savitri Ratho directed the BCCI to file its affidavit/counter-affidavit before the next date of hearing. “It is open to the other parties including state Sports & Youth Service Department, Odisha Cricket Association (OCA), and collector Cuttack to file counter affidavits in the meanwhile,” Justice Ratho said. The matter has been posted to August 21 for further hearing.
The petition was filed by OCA council member Lalitendu Bidyadhar Mohapatra and Sunrise Club, Cuttack, seeking directions for declaration and conduct of elections to various office-bearer posts of the cricket body. Senior advocate Subir Palit argued on behalf of the petitioners.
The petitioners questioned the decision to indefinitely postpone the OCA elections, which were due in October 2025. They contended that there was no direction from the BCCI requiring the state cricket association to defer its elections until the proposed new Sports Bill or Sports Policy is introduced by the Odisha government.
The OCA Council, at a special general body meeting on February 22, 2026, had resolved to defer the elections indefinitely. According to the resolution, the election process would be taken up only after the state government introduced the proposed new Sports Bill and in accordance with future directives of the BCCI.
The general body had initially decided to postpone the elections citing the India-South Africa T20 international scheduled in Odisha in December 2025.
The last full-fledged OCA elections were held on October 28, 2022, when BJD leader Pranab Prakash Das was elected president and Sanjay Behera secretary. Following Das’ resignation after the BJP government came to power, Pankaj Lochan Mohanty was elected unopposed as president on February 15, 2025.
