The turf of cricket field is not a personal turf or fiefdom, said the Supreme Court today while noting that no persons would continue to be or be entitled for appointment as the office bearer of BCCI or a state association in breach of the Lodha panel norms accepted by it.
The court was at pain that persons who have a vested interest in continuing in their positions inspite of Justice R M Lodha Committee's recommendations, "have ensured that the writ of the top court is obstructed and impeded".
The Lodha panel has recommended that a person shall be disqualified from being an office bearer if he or she is not a citizen of India, has attained the age of 70 years, is declared to be insolvent or of unsound mind.
The panel constituted by the apex court comprising former Chief Justice of India R M Lodha and ex-Supreme Court judges -- Ashok Bhan and R V Raveendran -- for recommending structural reforms in BCCI, has also said that no office bearer should be a minister or government servant, hold any office or post in a sports or athletic association or federation apart from cricket or has been an office bearer of BCCI for a cumulative period of 9 years and has been charged by a court of law for having committed any criminal offence.
The apex court bench headed by Chief Justice T S Thakur directed that office bearers of BCCI and its affiliated state associations, who fail to meet the norms recommended by the Lodha panel, shall forthwith demit and cease to hold office.
"We need to emphasise that the turf of the cricket field is not a personal turf or fiefdom. We must hence order and direct that no person shall hereafter continue to be or be entitled for appointment as office bearer of BCCI or a state association in breach of the above norms.
"All existing office bearers of BCCI and of the state associations who do not fulfill the above norms shall with effect from the date of this order stand disqualified," the bench, also comprising Justices A M Khanwilkar and D Y Chandrachud, said.
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