BCCI appoints Markandey Katju to implement Lodha recommendations, oversee cricket overhaul

In a media release, BCCI said, “The members were in one voice of the view that the recommendations were complex and would involve large-scale changes to be implemented across the board. Many technical and legal aspects were likely to come up in the future. Considering the complexities of the issue, it was unanimously decided that a panel headed by a Rtd. Judge of the Hon’ble Supreme Court assisted by three eminent counsels including Mr. Abhinav Mukerjee, the counsel of BCCI be formed. This panel will be a single point interface for the BCCI to interact with the Justice Lodha Committee as well advise and guide the BCCI.

Accordingly, it was unanimously decided that Hon’ble Retd. Justice Markandey Katju will head the said panel.” Markandey Katju has been one of the most outspoken judges in India's tradition of Supreme Court justices testing the outer bounds of law and the freedom accorded to them to make observations beyond the written word. The former Chairman of the Press Council of India, he has been an active social media user post his retirement taking on multiple social issues including corruption. He famously made the remark "The law does not permit us to do it, but otherwise we would prefer to hang the corrupt" while hearing a case in 2007. One hopes he brings the same fervor in his handling of the state associations which have been mired in multiple cases of alleged corruption in the recent past.

Katju, interestingly, has been vocal to the BJP, to which the BCCI President Anurag Thakur belongs, in his opposition on multiple issues including the ongoing cow controversy.

Credit: sportscafe.in