Domestic cricket has been called off in India from the day lockdown was imposed. It, however, appears now that the various phases of Unlock announced by the government are only effective for IPL and big names. The regional cricketing bodies and domestic teams are still uncertain of what the future may hold for them.
What could have a big indication for the times to come has now been postponed by BCCI. Board for Control of Cricket in India has indefinitely postponed its AGM or the Annual General Meeting. The meeting was scheduled to take place on 30th September but the rising cases of COVID have made the board postpone the same. Jay Shah, BCCI Secretary, has briefed the state units of the decision.
It has to be noted that BCCI or Board for Control of Cricket in India is registered under the Tamil Nadu Societies Registration Act, 1975. It is therefore required to hold an AGM 30 September each year. The media has reportedly accessed the letter sent to the state boards from the office of BCCI Secretary.
It says that “Owing to the prevailing Covid-19 pandemic, the Registration Department, Tamil Nadu Government have extended the period for a registered society under the Tamil Nadu Societies Registration Act, 1975, to conduct an Annual General Meeting by three months, from September 2020 to December 2020.”
The release further says that an Annual General Meeting of a registered society cannot be held online. It goes on to refer to a Government Order no. 89 dated 16th July 2020. It was issued by the Commercial Taxes Registration Department and states the aforementioned point. Henceforth, BCCI opts to shift the AGM to a different date.
Apex Council of BCCI has been regular and takes place on online platforms. The letter further said that “We also sought a legal opinion regarding the applicability of the Press Release and the Notification on BCCI and as per their view, the same is applicable and BCCI is not required to conduct its Annual General Meeting by 30 September 2020.”
Shah further assured the recipients that the board will keep them informing regarding the date of AGM in the future. The last AGM took place in October 2019 when the administrators appointed by Supreme Court saw their tenure end and Sourav Ganguly became the president of the world’s richest cricket board. It will be interesting to see if the board comes up with new initiatives or compensation plans or it uses delays as excuses for its approach.
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