CoA takes away all functioning powers of BCCI office-bearers

New Delhi, March 16

The ugly battle between the two-member Committee of Administrators (CoA) and the three principal BCCI office-bearers got murkier with the Vinod Rai-led panel deciding to take away all the functioning powers of the acting president CK Khanna, acting secretary Amitabh Choudhary and treasurer Anirudh Chaudhry.
Having already sought their removal in the seventh status report filed in the Supreme Court last week, the CoA has gone a step further by issuing the diktat to stop the office-bearers from taking any decision unilaterally.
It also stopped board officials from using BCCI funds to meet legal expenses in connection with the Lodha Panel-related cases. The officials now cannot plan their travel and accommodation for various meetings without CoA’s permission.
Players’ central contract bone of contention
It has been learnt that sitting on central contracts of the Indian players irked CoA chief Vinod Rai as insurance policies of the Indian players was about to lapse. The matter became worse after Choudhary questioned the manner in which CoA made certain appointments including that of a former Page 3 journalist currently associated with a film production company as GM (Marketing) for a whopping salary of Rs 1.65 crore per annum. The 12-point diktat effectively takes away all the powers from executive functionaries.
“The CoA is ready to throw the principles of governance out of window. They want to take away the rights of the office-bearers,” a BCCI office-bearer said.
When told that CoA is peeved that they sat on players’ contracts and certain appointments, he retorted: “Were we even kept in the loop when the contracts were being chalked out? You want people to sign it blindly when they don’t even know the terms of reference used for certain appointments. Where in Lodha Panel’s report was the recommendation for GM (Marketing)? Are we serious that we need to market Indian cricket?”
In its diktat, the CoA has instructed: “Any employee/ retainer/consultant of BCCI who receives a communication from any office-bearer and finds that the same is not copied to the CEO and/or the CoA, shall immediately forward the same to the CEO and/or the CoA.”
A BCCI official said it has been done to stop acting president Khanna from finding Venkatesh Prasad’s replacement in the junior national selection committee on his own despite the existing constitution allowing it.
It has come in the wake of allegations that the acting secretary is travelling 25 days a month, staying at five-star facilities and availing premium air tickets at the expense of the board.
Treasurer Anirudh Chaudhry is already sidelined and doesn’t attend most of the meetings.
The CoA has directed that, “the acting secretary shall continue to sign all the contracts/appointment letters on behalf of BCCI. However, if a contract/appointment letter that has been approved by the CoA is not signed by the acting secretary within reasonable time not exceeding five working days, the CoA may direct the CEO to sign such contract/appointment letter. Once a contract/appointment letter has been signed by the CEO as per the directions of the CoA, the same shall be binding on BCCI.”
A BCCI official claimed that it has been done since Choudhary has refused to sign the central contract of the Indian players and appointment of GM (Marketing) and the new ACU chief.