The tussle between CoA vs BCCI office-bearers
The long battle between the Supreme Court-appointed Committee of Administrators (CoA) and the BCCI office bearers has gotten murkier as the Vinod Rai-led panel decided to curb powers of the three BCCI office bearers. The CoA has issued a list of dos and don'ts, leaving the office bearers absolutely ineffective with respect to the daily functioning of the board.
The appointment of CoA
The Supreme Court had appointed the CoA, in January 2017, to oversee the day-to-day administration of the BCCI, until fresh elections were held as per the recommendations of Lodha panel. The Lodha panel was, in turn, formed in the wake of Justice Mudgal report, which called for reforms in the BCCI, following the 2013 IPL betting and spot-fixing allegations.
The friction within
Ever since its appointment, the CoA had a power struggle with BCCI office bearers, each trying to establish their superiority. This was evident in recent cases when the CoA was miffed with BCCI's acting secretary Amitabh Chaudhary, on being kept in dark about the day-night Test against West Indies. The CoA was also upset with BCCI for sitting on the players' annual-contracts despite reminders.
CoA seeks removal of office bearers
The relationship between the CoA and the office-bearers hit an all time low, when the CoA, in its 7th status report to the Supreme Court, had sought the removal of the current set of BCCI office-bearers, citing the end of their tenures.
What are the new directives from the CoA?
The 12-point diktat issued by CoA ensures that "all the affairs of BCCI are carried out in accordance with orders passed by the SC." This means that the office-bearers cannot use BCCI funds to meet legal expenses to contest Lodha recommendations. Further it mandates that office-bearers cannot exchange emails between themselves or with staff without the CoA and CEO being marked on it.
