New Delhi, Jan 24: Apparently coming to the rescue of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), the Centre on Tuesday told the Supreme Court that it was mulling bringing a law or an executive order for uniform functioning of the national sports bodies.
The government urged the apex court to put on hold the appointment of administrators to run the top cricketing body. The government will “consider and mull over the situation for some uniformity in the functioning of national sports bodies. We are going to have a holistic view. Sports associations should have some autonomy. We are looking at a larger picture”, Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi told the apx court.As Rohatgi apprised the court of the government’s intention, he asked the bench of Justice Dipak Misra, Justice A.M. Khanwilkar and Justice D.Y. Chandrachud to keep in abeyance for two weeks the appointment of committee of administrators (COA) -- a plea also iterated by senior counsel Kapil Sibal.
As the Attorney General pointed out that “the problem is not domestic alone, it permeates to international sector”, the court said: “To bring legislation, you are also not sure what impact it will have.”
“Whatever impurities are there, they have to be cleared,” Justice Misra observed as the Attorney General said: “Justice Lodha can’t be allowed to legislate.”
This invited retort from the bench asking the AG where he was when the case was being argued. “Where were you when the matter was being argued?”
Refusing to put on hold the constitution of the COA as it wanted to take forward its July 18, 2016 judgement and January 2, 2017 order, the court gave both the Attorney General and Kapil Sibal time till Friday to suggest names that they would like to be included in the COA as it directed the next hearing on January 30.
The bench said the names to be recommended should be in conformity with the recommendations of the Justice Lodha Committee.
Amicus curiae Gopal Subramaniam and Anil Divan had in the last date of hearing on January 20 given names for inclusion in the COA.
As Sibal wanted to have a look at the names suggested by Subramsaniam and Divan, Justice Misra said: “You were to give suggestions and not that suggestions to be exchanged with you.”
The court also allowed the BCCI to suggest three names that would represent the apex cricketing body at the International Cricket Council (ICC) during its meeting in the first week of February.
At the said February meeting of ICC, the issues involving the financial interest of the BCCI would be discussed and decided.
