Days Before IPL-9, Supreme Court Blasts BCCI, Says It Has Done Nothing For Cricket

The Supreme Court on Tuesday slammed the Board of Control for Cricket in India and accused it of doing nothing to develop cricket in the country. The BCCI came in for sharp criticism after it informed the apex court that allocation of funds to eleven states was zero.

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In a scathing attack on the activities of the cricket board, the apex court said, "BCCI has created a mutually beneficial society." Questioning why eleven states were penniless, the court observed that the BCCI must have distributive justice. Why should these states go begging? the top court asked.

The Supreme Court had earlier slammed the BCCI over allocation of funds to state cricket boards for development of cricket infrastructure without any "credible monitoring mechanism".

It had asked the board to submit a chart detailing how much funds it had extended to them in the last five years. "You (BCCI) have allocated Rs 480 crore in one year to state cricket associations for the development of cricketing infrastructure. In the past 20 years, more than Rs 2000 crore have been given approximately.

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"Have you monitored these funds as how it is being utilized. There is no credible monitoring mechanism to look at whether even infrastructre has been created or not," a bench headed by Chief Justice of India TS Thakur had said.

The bench, also comprising Justice FMI Kalifulla, sought to know the details of funds the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has allocated to the states like Nagaland, Manipur and Tripura in the past five years.

The Supreme Court's observations came after senior advocate KK Venugopal submitted that BCCI has already implemented some of the recommendations of Justice RM Lodha panel appointed by the apex court to suggest structural reforms in the Indian cricket board.

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He said BCCI has already appointed an ombudsman and put in place rules on conflict of interest. Venugopal said the cricket board has put out advertisements for a chief executive officer, a chief financial officer and other top management positions.

Venugopal also listed some of the recomendations of the panel with which the Board does not agree and sought that it be allowed to go back to the Lodha Committee for sorting out the issues.

The bench, however, had said it would hear and examine the issues raised by the BCCI and, if the need arises, only then it will send the list of unresolved and restricted issues back to Lodha panel.