Lodha reforms: SC likely to give final order on BCCI, Thakur

The Supreme Court on Monday is likely to give the final order on the implementations of Justice Rajendra Mal Lodha Committee's recommendation in the Board of Control for Cricket in India including removal of the current office bearers, while the perjury charges against BCCI chief Anurag Thakur could also come up for hearing.

The Lodha Committee had asked for the removal of the present set of BCCI office-bearers, to be replaced by a group of independent administrators. In its third status report submitted on November 14, the committee asked for the disqualification of office-bearers of the BCCI and all state associations, who become ineligible as per the apex court's July 18 order, and the appointment of former Union home secretary G K Pillai as "observer".

Thakur also faces a key hearing after the Supreme Court observed on December 15 that the BCCI chief prima facie appears to have committed matter of perjury in relation to demanding an intervention via a letter from the International Cricket Council in order to sidestep the implementation of the Lodha recommendations.

Last month the three-member apex court-bench, headed by Chief Justice T S Thakur, also asked the BCCI to suggest if there is any name for post of administrator and also granted them one-week time for the same.

Earlier in December, the BCCI had conducted a Special General Meeting (SGM) to discuss as to how they would respond to the Lodha committee's demands for radical changes in the Indian cricket board.

Following the meeting, the BCCI's firm stance opposing Lodha panel recommendations continued, with Honorary Secretary Ajay Shirke revealing that the board members will abide by the decision they had taken during the first SGM on October 1.

On October 1, the board had accepted many of the "significant recommendations" of the Lodha Committee, but excluded the important ones which have been a bone of contention between the cricket body and the Lodha Panel.

The recommendations, which have still not been accepted by the 30-member committee, include one-state one-vote, age limit of 70 years, cooling-off period of three years which include the tenure of the administrators, continue with the five-selectors and retaining the powers of the president and secretary as per the earlier constitution of the board.

The cricket board has consistently argued that they have implemented many of the Lodha Panel's recommendations but their members have problems in implementing only some of them.

On October 21, the top court passed an interim order asking the BCCI to "cease and desist" from disbursing funds to state associations until the association gave a written resolution that it would adopt all the recommendations approved by the court.

The court also asked Thakur and secretary Ajay Shirke to meet the Lodha Committee within two weeks from the date of that order and submit an "affidavit of compliance", elaborating on the recommendations already implemented by the BCCI and what it had done to persuade the state associations to adopt the remaining recommendations.

The three-member Lodha Committee was appointed by the Supreme Court after the 'conflict of interest' issue sparked a controversy in Indian cricket.

The apex court-appointed Lodha Committee had on January 4 recommended sweeping reforms and an administrative shake-up in the troubled BCCI.

- Report of Lodha Committee on Reforms in Cricket - Final Report, Volume 1

- Report of Lodha Committee on Reforms in Cricket - Final Report, Volume 2