The BCCI has strongly objected to the Lodha Committee’s proposal that an “observer” be appointed by the court to oversee the daily financial and business transactions of the board.
The committee had recommended GK Pillai, a former home secretary in the federal government, for the role of the observer, saying he could “supervise the administration of the BCCI [via] the CEO.” The CEO, Rahul Johri, the committee said, would direct all the daily administration of the BCCI without needing approval from the board’s office bearers as per the existing norm. The committee also said Pillai’s appointment was necessary in order to help “confine” its own role to drafting policy to provide direction.
Thakur and Shirke have called the committee’s move “erroneous” and “misconceived”. “The Lodha Committee had asked for and been granted various
additional powers for supervision of the affairs of the BCCI. It now cannot, after disregarding the orders of this Hon’ble Court, seek to vary the same unilaterally,” Thakur said in his affidavit.
Thakur also said Pillai is not qualified to be a cricket administrator: “The Lodha Committee cannot shift the responsibility of overseeing the affairs of the BCCI to another third party who does not have any expertise of running cricket in India and has no established administrative credentials in this field.”
