SC issues show cause notice to top BCCI officials

Photo: AFP

New Delhi: Reacting to the fifth status report submitted by the Committee of Administrators (CoA), the Supreme Court issued show cause notice to BCCI top brasses  President CK Khanna, secretary Amitabh Choudhury and treasurer Anirudh Chaudhary asking them to personally appear on September 19 and present their side of the story.

The SC however did not act on CoA’s demand of removal of all of the aforementioned BCCI officials.

A three-judge bench headed by Justice Dipak Misra was told by the apex court appointed Committee of Administrators (COA) that none of the recommendations of the Justice Lodha panel and the directions given by this court have been implemented.

The bench, also comprising justices A M Khanwilkar and D Y Chandrachud, asked Chaudhary to personally appear before it on September 19 to explain the issue.

The apex court expressed displeasure over its directions on the Justice Lodha panel report not being implemented so far.

Senior advocate Gopal Subramanium, assisting the court as amicus curiae, told the bench that three BCCI office-bearers -- C K Khanna, Amitabh Chaudhary and Anirudh Chaudhary, were the persons responsible for implementing the recommendations of the Justice Lodha panel and the apx court's directions, but they have not done that so far.

The bench also directed the COA to prepare a draft constitution of the BCCI in terms of its earlier judgment passed in the matter.

Cricket Association of Bihar (CAB) had earlier targeted Chaudhary in the apex court for allegedly disregarding the court's direction by inviting disqualified cricket administrators attend the board's meetings.

The court, however, had said it would first go by the COA's fourth status report and then look into the contempt petition filed by CAB.

Justice Lodha panel had suggested as slew of structural reforms, including one state, one vote, in BCCI which were approved by the apex court.