PTI: New Delhi: Monday, June 12, 2017.
Batting for
larger transparency, the Central Information Commission (CIC) has urged the
Committee of Administrators running the BCCI to look into the issues raised by
historian Ramachandra Guha.
The Central
Information Commission had on June 9 made it clear that the BCCI is a national
sports federation (NSF) but stopped short of declaring it a public authority
under the RTI Act.
The
observations of the CIC came while hearing the case of an RTI applicant who had
sought to know from the Union sports ministry the provisions under which the
Board of Control for Cricket in India, registered under Tamil Nadu Society Act,
selects the Indian team for international events.
Applicant Om
Prakash Kashiram did not get a satisfactory response from the ministry after which
he approached the Commission with his appeal.
"This
CoA has taken charge with immediate effect started liaising with BCCI's chief
executive officer Rahul Johri, who is in-charge of the daily administration of
the board. This means the Union of India has taken over the administration of
BCCI through the Supreme Court's appointed committee, hence the BCCI, its CoA
already became public authority and answerable," Information Commissioner
Sridhar Acharyulu said.
The
Commission did not bring it under the RTI Act because of a pending matter
before the Madras High Court.
It directed
the ministry of youth affairs and sports to inform it and the applicant about
its efforts to expedite the process of bringing a bill or adopting appropriate
legal measures to declare BCCI as public authority under RTI Act.
It also
directed the Committee of Administrators to adopt transparency in its
functions.
"The
Committee of Administrators and the CEO need to immediately initiate efforts to
find the facts on the issues raised by Ramachandra Guha, take necessary steps
to prevent wrongs, if found to have been committed," he said.
Guha who was
also deputed by the Supreme Court in the Committee of Administrators to run the
BCCI had made sensational claims in his letter in which he had questioned the
stardom and conflict of interest by some members.
Citing
transparency in the functioning of Supreme Court- appointed Lodha Committee,
the Commission said the cricket fans are expecting Vinod Rai-led Committee of
Administrators to make BCCI functioning fully transparent.
In an
exhaustive order on detailing the accountability of the cricket governing body,
the Commission said the BCCI under the administration of the CoA has to do
maximum disclosure on its own, reducing the need for RTI applications.
"It has
to respect the apex court's order by establishing on its own, an RTI
wing," Acharyulu said.
"It
should also come up with Citizen's Charter on their official website...it is
the duty of CoA to publish all such material on its website in both Hindi and
English," he said.
The
transparency panel said it expects the cricket controlling body to get fully
transparent in "all its functions" till it is brought under the ambit
of the Act.
He said the
government provides support to the BCCI which includes making available land by
state and UT governments for stadia, tax concessions, making available security
during the matches, facilities for visa, and others.
"Therefore,
it is incorrect to say that BCCI is not an NSF and does not fall within the
purview of the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, Government of India,"
he said.