BCCI adjourns SGM, misses first Lodha panel deadline

Mumbai [India], Sept.30 : The Board of Control for Cricket (BCCI) on Friday adjourned its Special General Meeting (SGM) on technical grounds, thus also missing the first deadline set by the Lodha Committee for the implementation of the first stage of recommendations.

The postponement came after it was discovered that some of the members did not have the necessary authorisation from their state associations to attend the meeting.

"Since it was Special General Body meeting and they had to complete the formalities. The authorization letters for the representatives from various states have not reached. So, they have been given one day's time to get the letters from respective state associations for the authorization.

It has been deferred for tomorrow," senior BCCI official Rajeev Shukla confirmed to reporters. The agenda for the SGM is to "consider the directions of Justice (Retd) R.M Lodha's Committee in connection with the formal adoption of the new Memorandum of Association and Rules for the BCCI", ESPNcricinfo reported.

Earlier on Wednesday, the Justice Lodha Committee submitted its status report with the Supreme Court, accusing the BCCI of defying the apex court's orders and stalling its proposed reforms.

Tearing into the BCCI for ignoring the directions of the Lodha panel, the apex court has directed the cricket governing body to respond to the panel's report before October 6.

The panel, formulated in the wake of the 2013 IPL spot-fixing and betting scandal, had recommended a set of sweeping reforms for the BCCI, including adopting the "one state, one vote" policy, restricting the tenure of office bearers, introducing a cooling-off period for administrators, cutting down the present five-member selection panel to three among others.

Soon after the approval of the proposals, the panel had served two deadlines for BCCI - September 30 to make constitutional changes, and December 15 to form a nine-member apex committee that will replace the working committee.

Source: ANI