DNA Explainer: What is the BCCI constitution amendment plea? How it affects Sourav Ganguly, Jay Shah?

The Supreme Court on Wednesday postponed the hearing of BCCI's plea for Sourav Ganguly and Jay Shah's tenure extension as office bearers. According to the constitution of India's apex cricket board, there is a cooling-off clause for office-bearers.

So, the BCCI have moved to make a few amendments to its constitution, although, BJP leader Subramanian Swamy has filed an intervention petition before the Supreme Court, opposing the BCCI's move to make changes to its constitution. 

Ahead of the Supreme Court hearing regarding BCCI's plea on Thursday, July 21, here's all you need to know about the BCCI vs Subramanian Swamy case. 

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The petition originally filed by the BCCI in 2020, sought permission to change the rules relating to the 'cooling off' period for the President, secretary and other office bearers. 

It's BCCI Vs Subramanian Swamy today in SC:

- Supreme Court will hear Swamy's petition against BCCI's appeal to amend the constitution.

- If not amended, Jay Shah and Sourav Ganguly will have to step down in the upcoming AGM (September 2022).

— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) July 20, 2022

According to the current rules of the BCCI's constitution, any individual who has been an office bearer in the BCCI, or any state cricket body, or any combination of the two, has to undergo a 'cooling off' period of 3 years, after serving for a maximum of six years. 

This 'cooling off' period would then subsequently bar Sourav Ganguly and Jay Shah from holding posts either in BCCI or any subsequent state cricket body for the period of the next three years. 

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Before being appointed as the BCCI president, Ganguly had served as president of the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB), while Jay Shah too was an office bearer in the Gujarat Cricket Association since 2013. 

Thus, the plea filed by BCCI also sought a direction for the extension of the tenure of BCCI President, Sourav Ganguly and Secretary Jay Shah, given their time as office bearers comes to end in September 2022. 

Earlier, on July 15, the apex body, moved to the Supreme Court, seeking an urgent hearing on a plea for approval to amend six rules of the board's constitution.

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In 2019, the General Body of the BCCI during an AGM on December 1, 2019, proposed six amendments, including one in Rule 6 of the Constitution, which had barred BCCI and state board office bearers from holding office for more than 6 consecutive years. 

The Supreme Court had adjourned the hearing for Thursday.