SC Bars BCCI from Releasing Funds

Supreme Court in its order has directed the BCCI (apex cricket body) not to disburse any funds, till they resolved to abide by the Justice R M Lodha panel recommendations on reforms.

It had ordered that no further amounts should be disbursed to state associations by BCCI, except where the State Association concerned passes a resolution saying it is agreeable to undertake and support the reforms as proposed and accepted by this Court in letter and spirit.

A bench headed by Chief Justice T S Thakur and comprising Justices D Y Chandrachud and L. Nageswara Rao asked Lodha panel to appoint independent auditors to scrutinise all BCCI accounts.

The apex court also directed BCCI president Anurag Thakur and secretary Ajay Shirke to give undertaking on affidavit, before the Lodha panel and in apex court by December 3, stating how much time they would need to implement reforms.

It directed the Lodha panel to fix a ceiling of high-value contracts of BCCI to be scrutinised by the auditors. The bench also asked the panel secretary to send a copy of the apex court order to the ICC chairman Shashank Manohar.