Lodha FAQs: Shirke can't come in BCCI, 'cooling off' for Sourav Ganguly

Sacked BCCI Secretary Ajay Shirke cannot be Maharashtra Cricket Association’s representative in BCCI meetings, the Lodha committee made it clear on Thursday in a seven-point response to queries on the administrative reforms made mandatory for the Board.

There was not much to cheer for Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) president Sourav Ganguly either because come June, 2017, he will have to go for a compulsory ‘Cooling off’ of 3 years having completed three years at the state association as secretary and president.

It was also clarified that total tenure in cricket administration (state+BCCI) will be 9 years cumulative and not 18 years as it was mentioned earlier.

The administrative career of CAB treasurer Biswarup Dey also ends, as the post of an assistant secretary that he held for two years, will be deemed as an office-bearer’s post, which makes his cumulative state association tenure of 10 years.

The question pertaining to Shirke’s entry was the second among Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs): Can a disqualified Office Bearer act as the representative/nominee of a Member Association or the BCCI? Can such an individual discharge any other role in or on behalf of the Association or the BCCI?

The answer stated: “In keeping with the spirit of the Hon’ble Supreme Court’s judgement a disqualified office-bearer is no longer to be associated with cricket administration.  He/She is disqualified from being a representative or nominee of the member association or the BCCI and Cannot discharge any other role in or behalf of the association or the BCCI. He/She cannot function within the association in any patron or advisory capacity nor be a member of a committee or council.”

The FAQ No 7 was directly related to Ganguly, whose name was doing rounds for the new BCCI president’s post. While he can be a BCCI president but it would only be for a few months if one interprets Lodha Panel’s answer properly.

The FAQ No 7 states: “If an individual has been an existing office bearer in a State/Member Association for 2 years, is he eligible to contest for the next elections without the 3 year cooling off period applying to him? If yes, what will be the term of his office?

The answer states: “If at the time of the election the existing office-bearer has not completed a period of 3 years, he is eligible to contest the election however, he will not have a full term and will have to demit office immediately upon the continuous 3 year period being completed. This is to avoid any potential abuse. For example, if there were no such bar, an office bearer could resign after 2 years and 9 months and then claim eligibility to stand at the next election 3 months later on the ground that a new term would commence.”

Biswarup Dey’s claim that his assistant secretary’s post is a selected and not an elected one has been quashed as it is an office-bearer’s post as per CAB constitution.

The FAQ No 4: In a State/Member Association, if an individual has occupied the post of Assistant Secretary, Assistant Treasurer, Director or any other post that is not defined as an ‘Office Bearer’ in the Report, then will his tenure in those posts be calculated towards the 9 year disqualification?

The answer: “If the constitution/bylaws of the state/member association has defined the post (assistant secretary, assistant treasurer, director etc) as an office-bearer post, then the tenure of an individual in any of those posts will be reckoned while determining whether the 9 year period has been completed.

“For example, in an association where the Constitution refers to the Assistant treasurer as office-bearer if a person has occupied that post for 3 years and also been secretary for 6 years, he stands disqualified.”