The Supreme Court had created a flutter when it incorporated within its Committee of Administrators (CoA) on January 30 the name of noted historian and an ardent cricket buff Ramachandra Guha. People expected an out-of-the box view from the popular historian who is also noted for his outspokenness.
The court thought his inclusion would add a special perspective in the implementation of the RM Lodha Committee’s recommendations on the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
The CoA is headed by former Comptroller and Auditor General Vinod Rai, the other members being former international cricketer and India captain Diana Edulji and IDFC Ltd Managing Director and CEO Vikram Limaye.
On June 1, though, the entire committee was shocked when Guha sent in his resignation from the committee, citing personal reasons.
Guha’s lawyer Rakesh Sinha placed his resignation letter (dated May 28) to the court’s registry after getting the nod from the vacation bench of Justices Mohan M. Shantanagoudar and Justice Deepak Gupta.
The Supreme Court will hear Guha’s plea on July 14.
Media reports say the rest of the committee members are shocked at Guha’s decision. They said they had no idea about this. Edulji has reportedly said: “I don’t know whether this is true or not. His phone is switched off and I haven’t been able to speak to him. The three of us (in the CoA) are not aware about this.”
The shock was more prominent, because this is a time when several important decisions are set to be taken by the board regarding the sport in India. Bids will be coming for broadcast rights for the humungously popular Indian Premier League for five years, starting 2018.
This is also a time when internal tensions are growing within the team—now playing the Champions Trophy in England—with coach Anil Kumble’s tenure on soft soil. If the top management is also rocked the situation could become untenable.
—India Legal Bureau