By TIOL News Service

NEW DELHI, JULY 18, 2016: WHILE accepting all the recommendations of the Lodha Committee on revamping of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), the Apex Court Bench headed by the CJI Justice T S Thakur, noted that the committee's recommendation about the legalisation of betting may be examined by the Law Commission and the Government.

The Bench also asked the Law Commission to examine the demand for bringing BCCI under the purview of RTI Act. However, it noted that the BCCI discharges public functions and since those functions are in the nature of monopoly, the public at large has a right to know and demand information as to its activities when it deals with funds collected as a trustee of people of India.

On the question of inducting nominees from CAG and the Accountant General of the State in its Governing Body, the Bench observed that there is no merit in the BCCI's plea that the nomination of such officials may be found in bad taste by the ICC or interference by the Government. Such an induction of indepdent experts will rather be appreciated by the ICC which would appreciate transparency in the working and financial management of the Board, it added.

As regards the allotment of space to excessive commercial advertisements during telecast of matches, the Bench asked the BCCI and the Lodha Committee to look into the judicious quantum of advertisements which should not reduce the joy of watching uninterupted telecast of matches.

The Bench has proposed that all the recommendations should be implemented within a time span of 4-6 weeks with the Lodha Committee supervising them and also decided its own fee for the time spent for monitoring the implemention.