NEW DELHI: Tired of handling lingering litigations in cricket management for 12 years since it took up and ushered in reforms in the world’s richest cricket organisation, the Supreme Court on Tuesday asked the Board of Control for Cricket in India and state associations why they should not be brought under National Sports Governance (NSG) Act, 2025.With multiple applications by different state cricket associations and their members either for minor changes in their constitution, or disputes arising from factionalism over control over the cash-rich cricket management bodies, a bench of CJI Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana in a cryptic order at the fag-end of the day’s proceedings asked the BCCI and state affiliates why they should not be governed by the NSG Act and sought their responses.The flow of the applications in the original petition filed by BCCI in 2014, which led to framing of its constitution in August 2018 by the SC on the recommendations of Justice R M Lodha committee, continued even after the SC permitted significant amendments to the BCCI constitution in Sept 2022 relating to consecutive terms of the office bearers and cooling off period terms in office.In May this year, the sports ministry notified new rules under the NSG Act to improve management of sports bodies and adjudication of disputes. If the BCCI and state cricket associations agree to be covered under the NSG Act and the Rules framed thereunder, then all the litigation pending before the SC relating to the functioning and management of cricket bodies would get transferred to the sports tribunal, easing a considerable load off the already overburdened SC.NSG Act and Rules mandate a National Sports Board as the central regulatory authority responsible for recognising national sports bodies and monitoring compliance with governance, financial, and ethical standards. These also provide processes for transparent elections and tenure of elected office bearers.
