The Supreme Court of India has asked the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and state cricket associations to explain why they should not come under the National Sports Governance Act, 2025, bringing the governance framework for Indian cricket back under judicial scrutiny, according to a report by Cricbuzz journalist Vijay Tagore.
A bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana raised the issue on September 8 while considering applications filed by cricket bodies in the long-running proceedings involving the BCCI. Lawyers representing the Board and state associations were asked to take instructions on why the terms and conditions governing their office-bearers should not fall under the legislation, which is now in force.
BCCI faces question over Sports Act position
The latest intervention puts the application of the National Sports Governance Act to cricket at the centre of the proceedings. The BCCI has previously taken the position that the legislation does not currently extend to the sport.
That position was set out during separate proceedings concerning the Odisha Cricket Association. In a submission before the Odisha High Court, the BCCI stated: “…even though the National Sports Governance Act 2025 has been enacted, the sport of cricket has not been notified as a designated sport for the National Sports Governance Act to apply.”
The legislation provides for a statutory regulatory and recognition framework covering national sports bodies. Organisations falling within that framework could also come within the ambit of the Right to Information Act.
Supreme Court reforms have shaped BCCI governance
The latest proceedings come against the backdrop of more than a decade of Supreme Court involvement in the governance of Indian cricket. The Court previously established a committee headed by former Chief Justice of India RM Lodha to recommend reforms to the BCCI, including changes to its constitution and administrative structure.
Those reforms subsequently reshaped rules governing the tenure of cricket administrators. In September 2022, the Supreme Court approved constitutional changes allowing an office-bearer to serve continuously for up to 12 years across state and BCCI administration — six years at a state association and six years at the BCCI — before becoming subject to a three-year cooling-off period.
The framework also permits an office-bearer to serve two consecutive terms in a particular position at both BCCI and state association level before the cooling-off requirement applies. The earlier court-approved constitution had imposed a three-year cooling-off period after two consecutive three-year terms served in either a state association or the BCCI.
Governance issue emerges ahead of BCCI AGM
The renewed examination comes shortly before the BCCI’s Annual General Meeting, scheduled for September 18 in Mumbai. The Sports Act and its potential implications for the Board’s governance arrangements are expected to be discussed around the meeting.
The immediate question, however, remains how the BCCI and its affiliated state associations will respond to the Supreme Court’s request for their position. Their lawyers are expected to return with instructions addressing why the terms governing cricket administrators should not be brought within the National Sports Governance Act framework.
