SC allows BCCI, Centre to suggest administrator names

In a fresh twist to the ongoing case on cricket board reforms, the Supreme Court on Tuesday allowed the Centre and an embattled Board of Control for Cricket in India to suggest names for appointment to the committee of administrators to run the BCCI, making it clear that no one over the age of 70 years should be considered.

The court, which had initially sought names from amicus curiae Anil Divan and Gopal Subramaniam for appointing the administrators, deferred the decision on administrators till 30 January after the BCCI and the Union government successfully argued that they should also be allowed to give names in sealed covers for consideration.

The bench, comprising Justices Dipak Misra, A M Khanwilkar and D Y Chandrachud, allowed BCCI to shortlist three names, following due procedure, from among the existing office bearers who are not disqualified, to represent the Board in the International Cricket Council executive meeting to be held from 2 February.

The names to be considered for the post of administrators and representing BCCI in the ICC meet respectively, have to be submitted in sealed covers in the court by 27 January it said.

The bench took note of the submission made by senior advocate Kapil Sibal, who appeared for BCCI, that the cricket body was also given the liberty to suggest names for appointment of administrators and due to some ''inadvertence'' it was not availed of.

It also considered the arguments of attorney general Mukul Rohatgi that the centre, which was ''mulling'' the idea of coming out with a legislation, be allowed to suggest names.

''We permit them (Centre and BCCI) to suggest names for committee of administrators,'' it said, adding that the names ''should be in consonance with the main judgement (of 16 July last year) and subsequent orders thereafter''.

The bench clarified it would decide the size of the panel and set up the committee of administrators after considering the names suggested by amicus curiae, BCCI and the Centre.

At the outset, Rohatgi submitted that the appointment of administrators be ''held back'' for two weeks as the Centre was mulling the idea of bringing a ''law or an executive order'' on the issue of autonomy of sports bodies, including BCCI. Sibal concurred and raised the similar plea.

''This case has to move both ways. The committee of administrators has to be constituted to assist the R M Lodha Committee,'' the bench said, while rejecting the plea.