BCCI office bearers say they are governed by BCCI’s constitution and not COA’s

The Committee of Administrators of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) had recently issued a few directives to the BCCI office bearers, which, have not been willingly accepted by the office bearers. They said it would not be possible to postpone BCCI’s Special General Body meeting scheduled to be held on April 9, which was directed by the COA.

On March 26, the COA has issued a set of directives, which said that the office bearers could not take independent decisions without the committee’s permission. Three of the board’s top office bearers on Monday – Amitabh Choudhary (joint-secretary), Anirudh Chaudhry (treasurer) and CK Khanna (vice-president) – attended a meeting with members of the COA in Mumbai.

Both sides discussed the court orders to ascertain the powers of the office bearers. The office bearers then sent an email to the administrators stating they were not governed by the COA but by BCCI’s constitution. Despite much opposition from the BCCI to adopt the Lodha Committee’s recommendations, the administrators stressed that it would not confront the states and communicate instead to sort out the hindrances.

The office bearers said that they were not against the COA: “Our intention is to work with the CoA in an amicable and constructive manner whilst exercising our duties,” quoted ESPNcricinfo.

The administrators were told that majority of the BCCI members wanted to discuss the change in court orders at the SGM. Choudhary, as directed by Khanna – the acting BCCI president- convened the SGM on April 9 in Mumbai.

The office bearers, however, told the COA it was free to attend the SGM via video conferencing or in person.

“With regard to the request for change in date of the SGM made in today’s meeting as well as in the subsequent email, the same can hardly be effected by us in view of the nature of the requisition by a majority of the General Body and its notice having already been issued to over three dozen members.” He said.