The Indian cricket board is all about power and money, honey

The very fact that BCCI is a cosy club of politicians across the spectrum, was visible in the Supreme Court on 20th January. All along, the bonhomie amongst politicians of all major political parties used to puzzle the layman who would wonder aloud — how come these chaps who do not allow even the Parliament to function and accuse each other with vilest possible slander, wine, dine and joke in BCCI where they are inseparable friends. 

Now see this friendship in the fresh twist to the ongoing legal battle in implementing reforms in BCCI. Railways, Services (armed forces) and Association of Universities have rushed to the SC crying foul over issues including downgrading of their BCCI membership from permanent to associate ones and sought recall of the judgement that had given a nod to the suggestions of Justice RM Lodha panel on structural reforms in BCCI administration. 

Not surprisingly, Attorney General Mukul Rohtagi, representing public bodies which were permanent members to BCCI, said all the three bodies have been “integral constituent” of BCCI and have been promoting cricket and employing cricketers. “We have no love for BCCI but larger questions must be addressed and debated by a larger bench. There has been a change in the electoral college. How could the court downgrade our full membership in BCCI without even issuing notice to us,” he said and cited a judgement in the AR Antulay case in which the court had revisited its earlier verdict.

What Mukul Rohtagi did not remember was that another senior government functionary, Maninder Singh had cited these very arguments in front of Ex CJI Justice TS Thakur who asked him how these three units were states and what were their geographical boundaries? 

If states like Bihar and north-eastern states did not have representation in BCCI, how could Railways, Universities and Services be counted as states, he had then asked? Rohtagi also does not want to remember that BCCI wanted the ICC to issue a letter to hold CAG nominee in BCCI as untenable, but a minister or bureaucrat can represent BCCI as a member or office-bearer.

In Hockey, Railways, Universities and Services are associate members and AG does not seem to be interested in correcting the ‘historical wrong’ done to those three government organisations.

I have been asking questions in Parliament. Sadly, things just do not seem to move because some lawyer-politicians have decided to obstruct the due course of law by filing cases against detractors. Their condescending attitude can be gauged by the fact that BCCI has filed a review petition in SC and have especially asked the then CJI to recuse himself. Now, with the earlier CJI having gone, they are trying their luck, one final time.

Government needs to take urgent steps to stop the blatant misuse of the provisions of the Companies Act, Under Section 25, rather than fight for the resurrection of voting rights for Railways, Services and Universities. 

Incidentally, Universities do not even have a team, but they have a vote which is used as a bargaining chip by whoever controls the levers of power at any given time — three votes with the government in power — gives any powerful politician a head-start and helps him in appropriating the goodies.

AG Rohtagi has stated case of DDCA, saying it is a Company Under Section 25 and how can it be governed by regulations when there is a specific law to deal with it. 

And, here lies the rub DDCA is a company which has been literally looted by its office-bearers over the years. The Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO) indicted DDCA on 62 counts and ROC has filed a case for prosecution against the Auditor as well. 

Despite various complaints, the CBI as well as Delhi Police have failed to take any action against DDCA. And now with Delhi CP, Alok Verma, becoming CBI chief the chances of exposing DDCA loot will recede even further.