'Govt would take control of BCCI if sports bill passed'

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New Delhi, Sep 9: Aditya Verma, the petitioner in the IPL spot-fixing scandal, has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi warning that the enactment of the sports bill could result in the government taking control of the BCCI.

Verma's latest warning comes at a time when the BCCI faces a twin deadline to implement sweeping reforms in the powerful Board, as recommended by the Supreme Court appointed Lodha Panel.

"There is speculation in the media that the BCCI is intending to approach the Government of India to introduce a bill which contains provisions to get over the recommendations of the Justice Lodha Committee, eventually serving the vested interest of the Board," Verma wrote in his letter on Thursday (Sep 8).

"The office bearers of the BCCI should appreciate that notwithstanding the far-reaching reforms to ensure transparency, the recommendations preserve the autonomy of the Board.

"The Lodha Committee has made no recommendation for government interference in BCCI's functioning. Any attempt to get the Parliament to pass a law (sports bill) will only result in government taking control of the BCCI. Hence, the move if any, to get any legislation passed to nullify the Lodha panel's recommendations will be counter productive and misconceived," Verma added.

PTI