Supreme Court: Why can’t Lodha recommendations be extended to other sports bodies?

The Supreme Court on Monday sought the Centres response to a petition seeking that the recommendations of Justice Lodha Committee should be extended to all other national sports bodies.

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday sought the Centres response to a petition seeking that the recommendations of Justice Lodha Committee for organisational reforms in the Indian cricket board (BCCI) should be extended to all other national sports bodies. The bench of Chief Justice Jagdish Singh Khehar, Justice NV Ramana and Justice DY Chandrachud sought the government’s response to a petition by some Arjuna awardee sportsmen including Ashok Kumar. Issuing a notice on the plea, the bench tagged it with the matter concerning BCCI. Earlier, The critical question was posed by critics when the apex Court appointed RM Lodha Committee first to fix the quantum of punishment for those found guilty of spot fixing in the 2013 Indian Premier League (IPL) and then asked it to reform the governance pattern of the Indian Cricket Board.

Now the Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi has echoed the question in the Supreme Court to the surprise of many who thought the the reforming of the board is settled and sealed by Justice Tirath Singh Thakur a day before retiring as the Chief Justice of the apex court. Jumping into the ongoing legal battle on behalf of the Railways, Services and Association of Indian Universities, Rohatgi resented the downgrading of their board membership from permanent to associates and sought to recall the judgement based on the suggestions of the Lodha panel.

He has reiterated the arguments already in public domain, that the public sector agencies have been promoting cricket and employing cricketers. What is worse, Rohatgi said, is the rule that no public servant or minister would represent them has affected them badly.

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