HYDERABAD: In what could be a far-reaching decision, Andhra Cricket Association (ACA) ethics officer/ombudsman Justice (retd) G Krishna Mohan Reddy has ruled that the district cricket associations (DCA) have to implement the Justice (retd) RM Lodha panel recommendations which were approved by the Supreme Court.
Justice Reddy has given the DCAs time till April 30 to implement the provisions. "The complaint is allowed giving time up to 30/04/2022 to implement the provisions of the Rule 3(b() to the respondents, who happened to be the full members of the ACA, failing which they stand disqualified to get necessary grants or funds from the ACA. The ACA shall not allot and send any grant or funds to them with effect from 01/05/2022 and if that situation is continued for a period of two years, the ACA may derecognise them and proceed as provided in the Rule 3(b) (2) and (3) as the case may be," Justice Reddy wrote in his 17-page order.
Former cricketer-turned-advocate SKA Hussain had lodged a complaint seeking the derecognition of the DCAs for not implementing Rule 3 (b) (1) of the ACA. Hussain had made the ACA and the 13 DCAs and 17 clubs as respondents. After hearing all the objections raised by the respondents, the ombudsman passed the order this week.
During the hearings, the ACA supported the implementation of the rule to all the DCAs. However, Visakhapatnam DCA, Metro CC, Guntur Recreation Club, New Cricket Club and Nellore United Cricket Club filed objections and sought the dismissal of the complaint.
Visakhapatnam DC contended that "… it is also not practicable to adopt the recommendations to the District Cricket Associations. It also pleaded that the Report of the Committee is not a statute and was approved by the Supreme Court with some modifications and hence cannot be applied to the District Cricket Associations."
In his order, Justice Reddy said, "Further in the BCCI rules all the state cricket associations were made the members of BCCI and the same rules were incorporated in the rules of the state cricket associations subject to necessary changes as directed by the Supreme Court. Thus, the DCAs became the members of the state bodies as per law and that incorporation is quite rational and inevitable. Merely because this aspect relating to the district associations is not specifically dealt with by the Supreme Court in the judgment, that does not mean that it is invalid or illegal."
Justice Reddy gave leeway to the DCAs regarding the appointment of the accountant general and ethics officer and ombudsman in their bodies but said the rest of the provisions should be implemented. "In these circumstances the contesting respondents cannot be allowed to veto the provisions of Rule 3(b)1). It is true it is impracticable to implement the clause (i) to the extent of engaging the services of a nominee of the Accountant General of the state and clause (vii) to the extent of appointment of ethics officer and ombudsman which, therefore, need necessary modifications to suit the district units. Whereas there is no impracticability to implement the remaining provisions of the rule and hence shall be implemented without any interruption."
CLUBS ORDER PENDING
Hussain has also filed a complaint on removing the voting rights of the clubs in the ACA. The order is pending with the ombudsman. It is learnt that some officials of the ACA are trying to stall things in this case.
WILL ACA RENEW OMBUDSMAN'S TERM?
It is also learnt that the contract of Justice Reddy will end on February 28 this year and the ACA has neither extended his term nor appointed a new ombudsman. In the AGM held on December 28 last year, ACA president P Sarath Chandra Reddy had taken up the matter of the ombudsman but no decision has been made till now.
