BCCI to HC: Appoint CoA to run Mumbai cricket

In what could turn out to be a deadly yorker for the present regime in the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA), the BCCI on Thursday (March 29) submitted an affidavit in the Bombay High Court seeking the replacement of the managing committee by a Committee of Administrators (CoA), which will implement the Lodha reforms and conduct elections as per the amended constitution.

The Board has been made a respondent in a petition filed by the Muslim Sports Club, a member of the MCA, which stated that the present managing committee has overstayed its tenure.

In his affidavit, BCCI CEO Rahul Johri mentioned all the timelines given to the state associations to implement the Lodha reforms. © Getty

The affidavit, filed by BCCI CEO Rahul Johri, mentions all the timelines given to the state associations to implement the Lodha reforms, which were validated by the Supreme Court on July 18, 2016. These timelines include those given by the Lodha Committee (the first timeline was issued on August 9, 2016, and the second on August 28, 2016) and the e-mails sent to the state units to change their constitutions and conduct elections as per the Lodha reforms by the CoA.

"I say and submit that the honourable high courts of Delhi, Hyderabad and Jammu & Kashmir have already intervened by appointing administrators to ensure that the respective state associations under their jurisdiction implement the judgement," said Johri in the affidavit (a copy of which is with TOI).

He then added: "In light of the aforesaid, I say and submit that the BCCI (under instructions of the CoA) joins the petitioner in requesting this honourable court to appoint a Committee of Administrators (CoA) to forthwith take charge of the affairs of the MCA and take steps to implement the recommendations of the Lodha Committee as contained in the report and accepted by the Hon'ble Supreme Court vide the judgement and thereafter supervise the conduct of elections thereof."

(TNN)