The Supreme Court on Friday criticised the cash-rich BCCI for refusing to reform make its working “transparent and visible.”
This criticism came two days after the apex court slammed the cash-rich sports body on Tuesdaysaying it was running like a “mutually beneficial society” and “practically corrupting” its members by not seeking any explanation on how crores of rupees allotted to them were being spent.
On Friday, a bench of Chief Justice T S Thakur and Justice F M I Kalifulla expressed its displeasure over BCCI’s stand that being a private and autonomous body, it could not accommodate a nominee of CAG in it as suggested by the Justice R M Lodha Panel on the ground that it would be derecognised from the International Cricket Council (ICC).
“You are discharging public function… how best your functioning can be improved? It has to be transparent and visible .. the way you are doing (discharging your function) and how you are doing,” the SC bench was quoted by PTI.
Taking note of the submission made by BCCI counsel and senior advocate K K Venugopal, the bench said “what we understand is that you are suggesting that I am answerable to Registrar of Societies. I will be accountable only to Registrar of the society. I will be amenable to criminal law but I will not reform. Don’t ask me to reform. Is it possible?
“What have you done? We have seen the allegations of match fixing and betting. You have no control over these. But you give money in crores. The Lodha committee has said something. It has been said to make the functioning more transparent and visible and the effort is to reform the BCCI.”
“You are dealing with hundreds of crores of rupees. Do you say that you have complete immunity over it and you can’t be questioned? Do you say that you can’t be questioned how you spend hundreds of crores of rupees if not thousands that you collect from the public. Can we record that statement,” the bench observed.
Venugopal replied in affirmative to the bench’s suggestion that collection of funds by selling tickets and through advertisements, BCCI has total control over it and it cannot be questioned.