Supreme Court to hear Sourav Ganguly, Jay Shah petition for BCCI tenure extensions after 2 weeks
BCCI president Sourav Ganguly and secretary Jay Shah sought a constitutional change in the board which would allow them to continue in their posts instead of serving the mandatory cooling-off period -- one of the major recommendations of the Lodha panel.
In Short
- The apex court has agreed to hear BCCI appeal after 2 weeks
- Ganguly's tenure as BCCI president to come to an end on July 27
- BCCI seeking modification of its constitution to allow Ganguly, Shah avoid cooling-off period
The Supreme Court of India on Wednesday agreed to hear the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) application, seeking modification of its constitution which would allow president Sourav Ganguly and secretary Jay Shah to hold on to their posts after waiving off the mandatory cooling-off period, after 2 weeks.
A 2-judge bench led by Chief Justice of India (CJI) SA Bobde heard the plea on Wednesday. The decision on whether Ganguly and Shah will continue in their top posts was expected to be taken today but it has now been postponed.
The BCCI, on April 21, had filed the 2nd petition after the initial one in December 2019, in the apex court, seeking an extension of Ganguly and Shah's tenures till 2025 among other constitutional changes. Ganguly and Shah took charge as BCCI president and secretary, respectively, in October 2019 and have sought this constitutional change so that they can continue in their positions in the Indian cricket board.
Jay Shah's tenure apparently ended on May 7 while Sourav Ganguly's term will come to an end on July 27.
After the Lodha committee recommendations came into effect, it became mandatory that the BCCI office-bearers will have to go into a cooling-off period for 3 years after serving for 6 years as an office-bearer in either a state association or the Indian cricket board.
Ganguly had earlier held positions in the Cricket Association of Bengal while Shah was a joint secretary in the Gujarat Cricket Association.
Earlier on Tuesday, IPL spot-fixing case petitioner Aditya Verma said his lawyers won't oppose a waiver of cooling-off period when the matter comes to hearing in the apex court. Verma was the original petitioner in the spot-fixing case that led to the Supreme Court forming the Lodha panel which recommended a number of reforms, including the cooling-off period.
"I have always maintained that Sourav Ganguly is the best man to lead BCCI. I believe Dada and Jay Shah should get a full term to again stabilise BCCI," Verma told the Press Trust of India.
"Therefore, on behalf of CAB, I will not have an objection if Dada is allowed to continue as BCCI president. Out of his nine months, four months have already been lost due to coronavirus and any administrator needs time to implement plans and policies."