Senior counsel Ashok Desai, representing PCA, raised two primary objections on crucial issues regarding "age and tenure" and "banning serving government ministers and officials", as recommended by Justice RM Lodha panel.
The more you argue, the more you get exposed. This in a nutshell describes the arguments offered by Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) inside the Supreme Court in its last ditch attempt to save self-serving administrators on Friday.
Senior counsel Ashok Desai, representing PCA, raised two primary objections on crucial issues regarding "age and tenure" and "banning serving government ministers and officials", as recommended by Justice RM Lodha panel.
PCA, in a valiant effort, tried to glorify itself by saying how Punjab cricket was being administered. What Desai conveniently neglected to tell the SC special bench, headed by Chief Justice of India TS Thakur and Justice FMI Kalifulla, was how PCA secretary MP Pandove has been controlling and administering cricket in Punjab since the mid-1970s. This is not all, the 70-year-old Pandove has been wearing several hats despite his failing health.
Besides being the chairman of National Cricket Academy, he is also a member of the Indian Premier League Governing Council.
PCA, in fact, is a curious case in itself. Since the independence, Punjab cricket was managed by one man called Hans Raj Mohla for decades until his death in the 1970s. Mohla was an insurance agent who brought his vast skills into the running of cricket in Punjab. Such was his stock that a famous saying did the round those days in Punjab that "if you want to get your ward selected in the team, you need to get your family insured!"
It was during the course of Desai's argument that the SC special bench raised the issue of former BCCI president Jagmohan Dalmiya's health. "It was brought to the notice of this court that he (Dalmiya) was not able to communicate with Justice Lodha panel due to his ill health. Don't you think that cricket administrators can retire at the age of 70 and can contribute in other fields?" asked the Chief Justice.
Desai, at this stage, mentioned legendary spinner from Punjab, Bishan Singh Bedi's name to further his argument. "Player like Bishan Singh Bedi, who is already 69, will also be ineligible to contribute to cricket if this clause of 70-year is implemented," the PCB counsel said without realising that Bedi himself was sitting in the spectator's gallery on Friday, to support Justice Lodha report.
"We completely support Justice Lodha report," an intervention from Bedi's counsel Manish Tiwari came in no time.
Desai probably was not briefed that it was the former India skipper who refused to accept PCA president IS Bindra's call to name Jalandhar cricket stadium after him during the India-Pakistan Test in 1983.
"I recall that during my association with Punjab cricket in the late 80s and early 90s, Bindra unilaterally announced Jalandhar cricket stadium after me. I took offence and told him never to even contemplate such a move since I believed that properties can be named only after the dead, and that too, for people who had done yeomen service to mankind. I considered myself a humble servant of cricket and did not consider myself 'worthy' of having a cricket stadium named after me," was how Bedi recalled the entire episode, on Friday.
It is another thing that Bindra did to satiate his ego by naming Mohali stadium after himself – IS Bindra Stadium.
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