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SC, amicus agree to amend BCCI cooling-off periodNEW DELHI: The Supreme Court, Board of Control for Cricket and the SC-appointed amicus curiae on Tuesday tentatively reached a consensus to amend the BCCI's constitution to allow two consecutive terms to its president, secretary and other office-bearers irrespective of their earlier innings in state associations. The SC-approved BCCI constitution provides that "an office-bearer who has held any post for two consecutive terms either in a state association or in the BCCI (or a combination of both) shall not be eligible to contest any further election without completing a cooling period of three years." The bench also in principle agreed to remove the 70-year age cap on BCCI's representative to the ICC that could make former BCCI president N Srinivasan hopeful of entering the international cricket body for a fresh start after a break from the cricket management role for more than seven years.

Solicitor general Tushar Mehta put forth BCCI's views that this is depriving the cricket board of the skills of experienced hands both in BCCI and ICC. Amicus curiae and senior advocate Maninder Singh slightly tweaked the proposed amendments to the satisfaction of the SC.

A bench of Justices D Y Chandrachud and Hima Kohli said, in principle, it was agreeable that the three-year cooling-off period should kick in only if a person serves six consecutive years either in a state association or BCCI. But, this too was caveated by Mehta, who said if a person after spending two consecutive terms is to mandatorily undergo cooling-off period, then he cannot contest elections for BCCI, for which a candidate has to be a member of a state association.