Sandeep Sarkar, Kolkata: The election itself has been canceled due to the charge sheet. However, the meeting called to explain why the election was not given due attention to the complaint!
There is a storm of controversy around such questions within CAB, the governing body of Bengal cricket. The circular issued by CAB also added to the confusion. All in all, the ultimate fog in Bengal’s cricket administration.
What exactly happened?
CAB has removed Joint Secretary Madan Mohan Ghosh following the rules of the Lodha Committee after much debate as he is over seventy years of age. A special general meeting (SGM) was called on July 20 to elect a new joint secretary. The last date for submission of nominations was July 12. The deadline for submission of nominations for joint secretary candidates as well as all affiliated clubs, district bodies, university representatives and former international cricketers was on the same day.
But before that, CAB started getting letter bombs one after another. District Magistrates as heads of more or less 18 district sports organizations sent letters to CAB. At least ten clubs in the CAB sanctioned arena also received letters. The essence of all the letters is that it is confirmed whether the recommendations of the Lodha Committee appointed by the Supreme Court have been accepted or not in the case of those who will represent from various affiliated clubs, universities or district organizations in the special general meeting. That is, no one who has passed the age of 70 or who has spent 9 years in cricket administration should be allowed to represent, as per the Lodha Act.
That’s what stops the election process. The SGM was canceled as no nominations were submitted for the post of Joint Secretary. CAB then issued a circular informing the members that an Emergency General Meeting (Emergent General Meeting) has been called on Wednesday, July 15. There President Sourav Gangopadhyay will explain why the election could not be held.
Confusion has arisen around the CAB’s notification. Because, it is said there, those who have submitted nominations for the special general meeting can attend the emergency general meeting. And those who have not submitted, they should bring the authorization letter.
Here comes the question. The CAB now has a total of 148 voters (deceased by one as Dilip Doshi passed away). 27 of them are former international cricketers. The remaining 121 are representatives of clubs, universities and district organizations. There is no question about international cricketers. Remaining 121 representatives under the glass floor. Allegations are being made that many submitted nominations to appear in special general meetings even after completing 9 years as CAB office-bearers, committee members or club-district representatives, thumbing their noses at the Lodha Act. It is also alleged that the upper age limit of 70 years has not been accepted.
CAB found that a total of 103 nominations have been submitted for participation in the special general meeting. 45 nominations were not submitted. According to the CAB notification, 103 delegates who have submitted nominations can attend Wednesday’s meeting. The remaining 45 representatives should bring letters. That started the debate. A section of CAB is raising questions one after another.
One, how can the persons who submitted nominations to participate in the special general meeting and election which were cancelled, remain in the emergency general meeting based on the same nomination? When the question is about the validity of the whole procedure, how can the meeting be ignored?
Two, many of the 103 delegates who submitted nominations were allegedly ‘cancelled’ by the Lodha Act. How such ‘disqualified’ (in legal terms disqualified) candidates submitted nominations to sit for the meeting, the letter flooded in, emphatically asking the question. Because of which the election was cancelled. How will those representatives be at the meeting on Wednesday? In that case, the Lodha law has to be disobeyed?
Three, many are surprised to see that Madan Ghosh, who was removed from the post of joint secretary by the Lodha Act, submitted his nomination to come as a representative from the White Border Club?
Some of the ruling group claim that the Lodha Act applies only to office-bearers or committee members. Not applicable to authorized agency representatives. On condition of anonymity, a member of the ruling group told ABP Live Bangla, ‘First of all, the constitution of CAB and Indian Cricket Board is slightly different. Like former cricketers don’t have a vote on the board or universities don’t have a separate vote. There is nothing in the constitution of the CAB that the Lodha Act applies to representatives or voters. As far as I know office bearers or committee members only fall under it.’ He added, ‘If it is to be inserted in our constitution, with the majority of two-thirds of the members Supreme CourtCAB should go for amending the constitution.
Although the constitution of the CAB and the Lodha Act have been disputed by a large section, the same law applies in all cases. CAB-E Rule 8 (6) states that those cricket officials who fail to fulfill the qualifications for office bearers cannot be representatives of their respective affiliated bodies. But it has been seen that the law is not being followed in CAB. Many people are represented in the organization, who are above seventy years of age. Or spent nine years in cricket administration.
All in all, there was a lot of confusion around Wednesday’s meeting within the governing body of Bengal cricket.
