The Supreme Court on September 14 cleared the decks for the extension of Sourav Ganguly and Jay Shah for the posts of BCCI president as well as BCCI secretary. Allowing longer terms for Ganguly and Shah, SC said BCCI and State association office bearers would have to complete cooling off periods only after an individual has completed two terms at either BCCI or State Federations.
The board had put in a plea for modification of its constitution on mandatory cooling off period and tenure of its office bearers. The apex court in its order stated that office bearers can have continuous tenure of 12 years which includes six years in State Association and six years in BCCI. Both Ganguly and Shah's three-year term in the BCCI was set to expire shortly. The BCCI, in its proposed amendment, had sought the abolition of a cooling-off period for its office bearers which would enable Sourav Ganguly and Jay Shah to continue in office as President and Secretary despite them having completed six years at respective state cricket associations.
Earlier, the Justice RM Lodha-led committee had recommended reforms in the BCCI which have been accepted by the top court.On Tuesday, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for BCCI, told a bench of Justices DY Chandrachud and Hima Kohli, that the game of cricket is substantially streamlined in the country. He submitted that the apex court has said that when the bye-laws will go into functional preparedness, some changes could be made with the leave of the court.He said that the BCCI is an autonomous body and all the changes have been considered by the AGM of the cricket body. While the submission was being made, the bench said "BCCI is an autonomous body. We cannot micro-manage its functioning." Mehta said, "As the constitution exists today, there is a cooling off period. If I am an office bearer of the state cricket association for one term and BCCI for another consecutive term, then I have to go for a cooling off period".
