Can't micro-manage BCCI functioning, says Supreme Court; to pass order on tenure of office bearers

BCCI is an autonomous body and it cannot micro-manage its functioning, observed the Supreme Court which on Tuesday also asked the apex cricket body of the country why it wants to have people above 70 years to represent the nation in the ICC. The remarks by the apex court were made during the hearing on the Board's plea seeking to amend its constitution concerning the tenure of its office bearers including its President Sourav Ganguly and Secretary Jay Shah by doing away with the mandatory cooling-off period between tenures of office bearers across state cricket associations and the BCCI.

The top court, which said that the cooling off period will not be scrapped between the tenures of office bearers as "the purpose of the cooling off period is that there should be no vested interest," said it will continue with the hearing Wednesday and pass order. As per the constitution adopted by the BCCI, an office bearer has to undergo a three-year cooling-off period between two consecutive terms in either the state association or the BCCI or both combined.

At the outset, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for BCCI, told a bench of Justices DY Chandrachud and Hima Kohli, that the game of cricket is substantially streamlined in the country. He submitted that the apex court has said that when the bye-laws will go into functional preparedness, some changes could be made with the leave of the court.

He said that the BCCI is an autonomous body and all the changes have been considered by the AGM of the cricket body. While the submission was being made, the bench said "BCCI is an autonomous body.

We cannot micro-manage its functioning." Mehta said, "As the constitution exists today, there is a cooling off period. If I am an office