Sourav Ganguly, Jay Shah to continue on BCCI top posts as SC amends cooling-off provision
Sourav Ganguly and Jay Shah will be allowed to continue holding their top posts in the BCCI.
In a landmark decision, the Supreme Court of India on Wednesday paved the way for the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) president Sourav Ganguly and secretary Jay Shah to continue in their respective top posts. The court accepted the Indian cricket board's proposal to amend its constitution and relax the mandatory cooling-off period foran office bearer.
Agreeing to scrap off the three-year cooling period, a bench led by Justice DYChandrachud orally agreed that office bearers in the BCCI should be allowed to have a longer tenure. The court ruled that the cooling-off period should come into play only after an office bearer has completed two consecutive terms in either the board or a state association.
The office bearers can now hold a position in a state association and the BCCI for at least 12 years straight. They can complete two consecutive three-year terms at a state association followed by two three-year terms at the BCCI. The cooling-off period will be applicable post that.
The BCCI had sought the amendment of clause sixin the board's constitution, which states that an official who has completed a term of three years each at a state cricket association and the BCCI will have to undergo a mandatory three-year cooling-off period before regaining a position in the board.
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The amendment was sought in regards to the current tenure of BCCIs' office bearers, including president Sourav Ganguly and secretary Jay Shah, who would have completed their respective first three-year terms at the BCCI in October this year.
Both Ganguly and Shah were serving in a state cricket association before taking over as BCCI's president and secretary in October 2019 and have completed six years. But they will now be able to continue in their respective roles and have a second term at the BCCI after the Supreme Court's order.
"We are of the considered view that the amendment would not dilute the original objective. We accept the proposed amendment," said the bench led by JusticeDYChandrachud.
The 'cooling-off period' was one of the recommendations made by the Lodha Committee in 2018 for the better functioning of cricket's administrative body in India. However,JusticeDYChandrachud-led bench agreed that a cooling-off period after just one term in office will be 'too stringent'.
“A cooling-off period of three years after just one term of three years in office is really too stringent. People should be allowed to get acquainted… You will have networks, deal with international counterparts,” said JusticeChandrachud while examining BCCI's proposed changes in the constitution.