Can't micro-manage BCCI functioning, says SC; to pass order on tenure of office bearers

The Supreme Court on Tuesday said that it cannot micromanage the BCCI in its functioning.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is an autonomous body and the Supreme Court cannot micromanage its functioning, observed the apex court on Tuesday, 13 September. It also asked the apex cricket body of the country why it wants to have people above 70 years to represent the nation in the International Cricket Council.

The remarks by the apex court were made during the hearing on the board's plea seeking to amend its constitution concerning the tenure of its office bearers including its president Sourav Ganguly and secretary Jay Shah by doing away with the mandatory cooling-off period between tenures of office bearers across state cricket associations and the BCCI.

The top court, which said that the cooling off period will not be scrapped between the tenures of office bearers as "the purpose of the cooling off period is that there should be no vested interest," said it will continue with the hearing Wednesday and pass an order.

As per the constitution adopted by the BCCI, an office bearer has to undergo a three-year cooling-off period between two consecutive terms in either the state association or the BCCI or both combined.

At the outset, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for BCCI, told a bench of Justices DY Chandrachud and Hima Kohli, that the game of cricket is substantially streamlined in the country.

He submitted that the apex court has said that when the bye-laws will go into functional preparedness, some changes could be made with the leave of the court.

He said that the BCCI is an autonomous body and all the changes have been considered by the AGM of the cricket body.