Lodha reforms across all sports bodies?
Appearing for petitioners, 28 in total, including Arjuna awardees, Drona awardees, and Olympians, advocate Amit A Pai submitted that there were several instances of mismanagement and corruption in various federations.
In what could well change the way Indian sports administration is being run in the future, Supreme Court has accepted the petition of leading sportsmen and issued notices to various federations on whether Justice RM Lodha Committee's work to usher in transparency within BCCI should now be implemented to sporting federations across the country.
A bench comprising Chief Justice JS Khehar, Justice NV Ramana and Justice DY Chandrachud was hearing a petition filed by eminent sports personalities like Bishan Singh Bedi, Ashwini Nachappa, Kirti Azad, Pravin Thipsay and Jwala Gutta asking to incorporate all Lodha panel recommendations within the body of the National Sports Development Code of India, 2011, to ensure the ultimate goal of good governance of national sports federations, and in the larger interests of the nation.
Appearing for petitioners, 28 in total, including Arjuna awardees, Drona awardees, and Olympians, advocate Amit A Pai submitted that there were several instances of mismanagement and corruption in various federations. He also cited instances of sexual harassment that has discouraged women and girls from taking sport as serious profession.
It has to be mentioned here that Justice Lodha panel recommendations were made part of SC July 18 orders and forced the cricket body to get rid of dead woods. Taking the cue, sportspersons want the same reforms, from ousting 70-year-olds from various sporting federations, and disqualification of government ministers and bureaucrats from other sports federations.