BCCI office-bearers can have two terms before cool-off period

Source: The post is based on the article “BCCI office-bearers can have two terms before cool-off period” published in The Hindu on 15^th September 2022.

What is the News?

The Supreme Court held that the three-year cooling-off period for BCCI office-bearers will kick in only after they complete two consecutive terms in the apex cricket body.

About the ‘cooling-off period’ in cricket associations

The ‘cooling-off period’ was a major recommendation made by the Justice R.M. Lodha Committee to reform cricket administration in the country.

In its 2018 judgment, the apex court had seen eye-to-eye with Justice Lodha’s conclusion that “the game will be better off without cricketing oligopolies”.

The court introduced a cooling-off period to prevent an office-bearer from growing vested interests by occupying a position of power in a cricketing body for a long period.

Earlier, an office-bearer who had completed a term in a State association and another in the BCCI had to comply with the cooling-off period requirement.

What are the other modifications done by the court to cricket associations?

The BCCI proposed a few amendments that do not detract from the basic purposes/objects of the Supreme Court’s 2018 judgment. So, the court accepted these modifications to the BCCI Constitution. These are,

1) Cool-off period for State cricket associations: Office-bearers of State cricket associations need to cool off only after serving two successive terms. However, a State association office-bearer need not undergo the three-year hibernation if he or she wants to contest a Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) election.

A person who has finished two back-to-back tenures in office at a State association should take a three-year breather before contesting for a third time in that State association.

2) Lifting the bar on office-bearers having posted in other sports bodies, 3) Removing the disqualification on office-bearers who have been charged with criminal offences. So, from now on the disqualification should only kick in after they are convicted and sentenced for the crime, 4) Disqualification from being an office-bearer is now restricted to government Ministers and public servants.