The Supreme Court-appointed Justice Lodha Committee fired its final salvo on Monday with its list of recommendations for fixing Indian cricket.
While the three-member committee comprising Justice (Retd) RM Lodha, Justice (Retd) Ashok Bhan and Justice (Retd) RV Raveendran made the recommendations, the Supreme Court will make the final call on if they will be binding on the BCCI.
No Ministers in BCCI
At the press conference, Justice Lodha left his most anticipated recommendation for the end - the eligibility criteria for BCCI’s top brass.
The retired judge recommended that the President, Vice-President, Secretary, Joint Secretary and Treasurer of the board must be an Indian and not above age of 70. He should also not be insolvent.
Most importantly, the elected member must not be a Minister or a Government servant or one who has held office in the BCCI for a cumulative period for nine years.
No BCCI office-bearer can have more than two consecutive terms or hold office for more than 3 terms with the rider that there will be a cooling off after each term.
Players’ Association and Handling Betting
Apart from the changes within the board, the Lodha Committee also recommended that a players’ association be formed in Indian cricket with the help of a steering committee comprising Mohinder Amarnath, Diana Eduljee and Anil Kumble.
Keeping in mind the recent scandal in IPL that led to the temporary suspension of the Chennai SuperKings and Rajasthan Royals, the Lodha panel also suggested that betting be legalised in the country.
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)