After an exhaustive investigation about how the game's administration is run in the country, Justice RM Lodha and his committee on Monday made several recommendations on chaning the manner in which the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) functions.
The Supreme Court had appointed the Lodha-led committe to revamp the functioning of the BCCI. The committee also consists of two other former SC judges, Ashok Bhan and R V Raveendran. They interacted with several former players, including Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and Sourav Ganguly, BCCI president Shashank Manohar and all the stakeholders before chalking out the recommendations.
"We [the committee] know there is huge public expectation resting on us. We will ensure the game is played in its best spirits. We will do our best," Justice Lodha was quoted as saying by The Hindu earlier in 2014.
Here are the key recommendations from the Lodha Committee:
1. Separate governing bodies for the IPL and BCCI.
2. Constitution and establishment of a players association.
3. Limited autonomy for IPL Governing Council.
4. Relegation of Railways, Services and Universities as associate members. In that way, they will also lose their voting rights.
5. One association of each state will be full-member and have the right to vote.
6. A steering committee headed by former home secretary GK Pillai.
7. Players are not employees of BCCI and thus the interests of the players should not lie with the BCCI and is meant to be protected.
8. Ethics officer will be a former HC judge and there will be elected officer who will overlook the elections, when held.
9. A BCCI office-bearer cannot be a Minister or government servant.
10. Any BCCI office-bearer cannot have more than two consecutive terms.
11. BCCI office-bearer cannot hold office for more than 3 terms with the rider that there will be a cooling off after each term.
12. Lodha Committee recommends only one person per post. Proxy voting of individuals will not be allowed.
13. Lodha Committee recommends the legislature must seriously consider bringing BCCI within the purview of the RTI Act.
14. BCCI office-bearer cannot hold two posts at the same time.
15. Legalisation of betting.
16. Lodha Committee gives clean chit to former IPL COO Sundar Raman as they could not find any evidence against him.
17. If an officebearer of a state association is elected to BCCI, he has to vacate state association post recommends Lodha panel.
The entire Lodha Panel report can be found HERE
