‘No rule’ is rule for Cricket Association
*No CAC; so-called district presidents pick probable
Goldi Sharma
JAMMU, Dec 26: ‘No rule’ is the rule for Jammu and Kashmir Cricket Association (JKCA) as its Administrators and the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) have made mockery of things by directing so-called District President’ to pick probable for the prestigious Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Cricket Tournament, commencing from January 10, 2021. The much needed Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC) has not been constituted by the Jammu and Kashmir Cricket Association, so expecting transparency in selection process is like crying for the moon.
The Court appointed panel of Jammu and Kashmir Cricket Association (JKCA) which was constituted in December 2017 with a mandate to clear the disputes among its affiliate units (Clubs) within a period of two months to make the functioning of the Association smooth under its all powerful Working Committee, but it has thrown its mandate into the winds and the Constitution into the dust bin as the disputes of the Clubs are yet to be cleared despite a lapse of over 3 years.
The Jammu and Kashmir High Court had appointed a quartet of retired Justice CK Prasad and former Justice Rafat Alam (who has probably been replaced) as Administrators of Jammu and Kashmir Cricket Association (JKCA), besides Syed Ashiq Hussain Bukhari as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and retired Judge Bashir-ud-Din as Ombudsman in December 2017, with a mandate to make an end to the disputes within some Clubs of JKCA to help it run the affairs smoothly and successfully.
Sources said, the panel rather than concentrating on clearing the disputes of 12 affiliated Clubs of JKCA, focussed on de-affiliating all the 25 Clubs from the Association by illegally registering a new Constitution under Registrar of Societies, thus throwing the existing Constitution into the dust bin to make their path of reigning the kingdom and ruling the roost smoother, easier and hassle-free.
“It is obvious, as and when the elections are held in JKCA, the Administrators and the CEO will be no more in the Association. So, for the longevity of their tenure, the Court appointed panel is least interested in making an end to the disputes within the clubs of JKCA. The power, pelf and glamour in JKCA lure everybody towards itself,” said former First Class cricketer on the condition of anonymity.
The sources said, the Court employed panel appointed selectors of their choice to satisfy their ambitions, hardly caring about their eligibility under Lodha Committee Reforms, adding that none of the JKCA selectors from the Union Territory is eligible as per Lodha Recommendations and some of the selectors are there just to fit the bill.
By going into the philosophy of the things, one observes that there is no reality in JKCA’s claim of providing opportunity to the players from most of the districts and selecting them for the higher levels, as the district level tournaments, which were mostly conducted on the matting strips, were an eye wash as far as selection of the players is concerned or in other words, the process was simply like ‘Old wine in new bottles’.
Sources said that with an aim of mustering support of various illegally elected District Presidents, the CEO while making ‘no-rule’ the rule of the Association, asked them to pick probable from their respective districts, adding that after picking around 70 players’ each from the twin divisions, these probable were made to play matches as an eye-wash as there will hardly be any player picked from the districts to play at the bigger circuit, however if at all there will be any change, it will be only some blue-eyed one.
“It should be called Parvez Rasool Cricket Association rather than Jammu and Kashmir Cricket Association because it is he who takes all the important decisions as the selectors and the coaches are just like frill or ornaments attached to the Association,” said a former JKCA office bearer while expressing anguish and giving vent to his feelings.
According to reliable sources, the Association is nowhere functioning in accordance with Justice Lodha Recommendations, which otherwise are mandatory to be implemented by the affiliate units of Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), JKCA being one of them, adding that as per Lodha Reforms, the selectors should not be above the age of 60 years, which is not the case in JKCA where it has one blue-eyed and favourite selector of the CEO ageing over 65 years, while the other two selectors are from outside J&K, closing doors for the deserving candidates from the Union Territory.
Moreover, as per Lodha Reforms, the appointment of selectors is directly proportional to their recommendation by the Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC), which has not been constituted by the JKCA.
Sources further said that the CEO illegally and without proper procedure and hurriedly conducted elections of the districts and rather than election of the members, he selected the members of his choice, adding that while throwing norms into the dirt, the time between the publishing of notices for the elections and the holding of elections was very less, helping CEO to manipulate things.
“As far as the elections at the district level is concerned, the trio of CEO and the Administrators, from the word go, manipulated the things in such a way that they as per their will allowed the representatives of only those teams to be part of the elections which had participated in district level tournaments for two consecutive years, thus bringing the so-called office bearers of the district bodies of their choice. Through this illegal way of holding elections, a current First-Class player has been elected President in one of the districts ,” said one of former Joint Secretaries of the Association while expressing anonymity.
He said, “how much disgusting it is that the so-called President of a particular District Association, who himself is a current Ranji Trophy player picks the probable from the district,” adding, “It has always been a custom in wealthy but unhealthy JKCA that whoever is at the helm of affairs, throws both the Constitution and the mandate into the winds”.
Now, according to the media reports, JKCA, as per the taste of its present quorum, is planning to hold the election of the apex body soon by involving district bodies and keeping out the original members, the representatives of all powerful Working Committee.
The JKCA matter is with the High Court which has already stayed the election process by the present quorum.
Let’s hope the Court intervenes and justice prevails.
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