Supreme Court adjourns BCCI, CoA matter till August 23

New Delhi: The Supreme Court's hearing on the report put forth by the Committee of Administrators (CoA), on the functioning of India's cricketing board BCCI and some of its top members, has been put on hold until August 23.

It was earlier on Wednesday, that Vinod Rai-led CoA had filed a report to Supreme Court for the removal of BCCI's top brass, which includes acting president CK Khanna, secretary Amitabh Choudhary and treasurer Anirudh Chaudhry. The reasons? They follow the same as what Anurag Thakur and Ajay Shirke had faced in January, this year – inability to implement the Lodha reforms.

In the fifth status report submitted by CoA members Vinod Rai and Diana Edulji, mincing on no words, they said that the top BCCI members have shown mere regards to their directions and that they have sought to remove the current members over " flouting the same with impunity".

“The current office-bearers of the BCCI have demonstrated scant regard for the directions issued by the CoA and continue to flout the same with impunity. Since the previous president and secretary (Anurag Thakur and Ajay Shirke) had been removed (in January 2017) for failing to implement the reforms mandated by the (SC) judgement despite a period of six months having elapsed, it is only fair that the current office-bearers be treated in the same manner (and) cease and desist from being associated with the workings of the BCCI,” read the report.

The Supreme Court appointed CoA had earlier handed BCCI's top brass a notice for barring CEO Rahul Johri from attending the Special General Meeting on July 26 and in doing so they had deliberately misconstrued SC's orders.

CoA even accused the board for not looking into some of the fundamental issues like 'conflict of interest' and 'appointment of an ombudsman'.

"Even fundamental issues such as conflict of interest rules and appointment of Ombudsman were not implemented during the SGM held on July 26, 2017. It is obvious that the whole idea was to stonewall the fundamental core of reforms mandated by this Hon'ble Court and make the same a dead letter.

"It appears that the intention was also to ensure that the Committee of Administrators would not receive a firsthand account of the proceedings during the SGM and hence the CEO of BCCI and other administrative staff including the legal team were asked to leave the meeting," the report further read.

"The CEO was asked to leave despite clear directions from the CoA to the effect that the CEO shall be entitled to attend every SGM and other meetings of the BCCI. The office-bearers of the BCCI, instead of reprimanding the constituent members who were suggesting that BCCI officials including the CEO leave the meeting, did absolutely nothing," the report stated.

"The BCCI units have no intention of implementing the fundamental core of the reforms mandated by the SC," CoA further said in a statement to the apex court.