NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Monday made it clear that all state cricket associations have to “fall in line” with recommendations of Justice R.M. Lodha led-panel on structural reforms in the BCCI which was carried out in the wake of match-fixing and spot-fixing allegations.

“Once the BCCI is reformed it will go down the line and all cricket associations will have to reform itself if they want to associate with it. The committee constituted in wake of match-fixing and spot-fixing allegations was a serious exercise and not futile exercise,” a bench headed by Chief Justice T.S. Thakur said.

The bench also comprising Justice F.M.I. Kalifulla, said that the recommendations of reforms at the BCCI were made by a committee of experts with extensive deliberations with the stake holders and finding can’t be said to be “just recommendations”.

“It will no longer remain just recommendations if we say it has to be implemented. It was called recommendations as some of the findings of the committee were implemented by the BCCI during the deliberations itself and some were not implemented.

“We are hearing the issue because we are seeing whether the recommendations which have not been implemented can be implemented or not,” the bench said to the Haryana Cricket Association which was objecting to the recommendations of Lodha panel.

Counsel appearing for the Haryana Cricket Association said that Lodha panel’s findings were just recommendations and few of them were not workable for cricket bodies to implement. “Justice Lodha committee has said that what has been done is just cosmetic and what is required is not cosmetic reforms but more than that,” the bench said.

The apex court also pulled up the Haryana Cricket Association for objecting to 70 years age cap for office bearers and said that “do some office-bearers in cricket bodies think that they are indispensable”.

“The BCCI has to reform. It has been a very corrupt body with few calling the shots. Nobody is indispensable leave alone the cricket administrators. There should be time when you have to say enough is enough and pave way for others to take charge,” the bench said.

Published in Dawn, May 3rd , 2016