Will AG’s department play with a straight bat?

• Writ petition for change of SLC Constitution comes up for hearing on Monday

The writ petition filed by 12 high profile personalities for a change of Constitution of Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) in February last year will come up for hearing on Monday 5 December.

The 12 petitioners are asking for the change of the SLC Constitution to bring down the number of clubs that currently have the right of vote at every AGM. This has led to vote-buying, nepotism and corruption, thus denying honest and genuine individuals from coming forward to hold office and serve the game.

In India, the Lodha Committee brought down the number of clubs to 38. In Pakistan also, they brought it down to about 18. What the petitioners are seeking is something similar from the judiciary.

At present, Sri Lanka has 147 votes with some clubs having the same number of votes as what the controlling clubs have. The request (through the said petition) is to observe all that and make way for a new Constitution, basically for voting. This petition was filed during the time when Namal Rajapaksa was the Sports Minister and, for some reason he objected to it and filed a motion with the Attorney-General’s department where it was tabled in court.

Subsequently, when the new Sports Minister Roshan Ranasinghe assumed office, he decided to consent to the petitioner’s appeal but what happened was that it was not tabled in the court, thus raising doubts whether the AG’s department was resorting to double standards or apparently favouritism. The argument presented for such an action is that they are drafting a Sports Law in general and it also covers cricket. From whom these instructions were received is what concerns everyone. Cricket per se is a different ball game altogether and does not rely on funds from the Ministry of Sports to run the sport. It is totally an independent sports body. The present Sports Minister’s consent to pursue the amendment in line with petitioner’s appeal is a major breakthrough, which can probably lead to the reforms needed like how the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) had to adhere to the Lodha Committee in bringing down the votes to 38 in India, as per the Supreme Court directive.

The Lodha panel favoured the ‘one State, one vote’ norm. This meant that an association representing a State alone should be recognised as a voting member of the BCCI, while associations representing a region within a State or entities that do not represent a territory should not have the same vote or status.

The petition also gained some support in Parliament when one of the MPs highlighted that SLC reforms should be initiated and the Constitution changed just like how it had happened in India.

On another front, a new avenue has opened where the ICC’s Anti-Corruption Investigator Alex Marshall is coming to Sri Lanka this month on the invitation of SLC to inquire into allegations brought about by another MP in Parliament. Marshall is due to meet the Sports Minister as well and do an independent inquiry into allegations on match-fixing where a lot more information could surface.