R Sedhuraman

Legal Correspondent

New Delhi, May 10

The Supreme Court today assured the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) that the reforms suggested by the Justice RM Lodha panel would not hurt either the sport or BCCI.

A Bench comprising Chief Justice TS Thakur and Justice FMI Kalifulla gave the assurance when BCCI’s senior counsel KK Venugopal pleaded with the apex court to not thrust changes on the board which, he claimed, was willing and open to self-correction.

“We will correct ourselves in future. There will be no aberration or misappropriation of funds. We will have an Ombudsman, Chief Executive Officer and independent auditors,” Venugopal pleaded. He said the anti-corruption recommendations would be implemented in totality, and that there was no need for any “interference” from the court.

He explained how BCCI became financially sound over the years by promoting the sport. He said that BCCI wanted to give Rs 1 lakh to each player of the 1983 World Cup-winning team, but it did not have the funds. It had to organise a music concert by Lata Mangeshkar to raise the funds for the purpose, he said.

‘No harm’

“Why do you apprehend reforms are harmful?” the Bench asked and assured BCCI that the proceedings were not meant to wind up the cricket board. Rather, this process would strengthen the Board, it said.

It pointed out that three eminent panel members — ex-CJI Lodha and former SC judges Ashok Bhan and RV Raveendran — had travelled across the country and taken the views of the stakeholders in cricket before finalising their recommendations on the reforms.

The Supreme Court had constituted the Lodha Committee in the wake of the allegations of betting and match-fixing in the IPL. This scandal involved even the team managements of two IPL teams, but BCCI tried to brush it under the carpet with a sham inquiry, forcing the Supreme Court to step in. The Bench is hearing petitions by BCCI and its state units opposing the reforms. The Bench posted the case for further hearing on June 30.